Bhubaneswar: Double strike by Srikant Gadaba guided Odisha to get a winning start in their league round match of the 79th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2025–26 at Narainpur, Chhattisgarh, on Monday.
In the group stage league match, Odisha registered a one-sided victory against Madhya Pradesh by nailing 4-0 goals. Kartik Hental opened the account for Odisha in the 15th minute and the first-half ended with a 1-0 goal lead for Odisha.
After the change of sides, Jitu Muduli doubled the lead in the 75th minute. Srikant Gadaba joined the party by nailing double goals in the 77th and 90+4 min and registered a convincing 4–0 victory. Team Odisha will play its next match against Telangana on 24th December 2025.
