Santosh Trophy: Kerala edge Odisha, keep semifinal hopes alive

Nijo Gilbert
Nijo Gilbert scored the winner for Kerala. Photo: Twitter@IndianFootball

Bhubaneswar: Kerala scored a 1-0 win over Odisha to keep their semifinal hopes alive in the Santosh Trophy final round here on Friday.

Nijo Gilbert scored the lone goal of the match by converting a penalty in the 16th minute.

The loss also dashed Odisha's hopes of advancing to the knockout stage.

Punjab beat Goa 3-1 to go top of Group A with 10 points from four matches.

Karnataka scored an injury-time goal to earn a 3-3 draw against Maharashtra in the early kick-off.

Karnataka are in second spot with eight points from four matches, while Kerala are in third place with seven points from four games.

Kerala meet Punjab in their final group match on Sunday (3 pm). Karnataka take on Odisha on the same day.

Punjab have a goal difference of +4 as opposed to Karnataka's +3 and Kerala's +1.

The top two teams will progress to the semifinals.

The semifinals and final will be held in Saudi Arabia.

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