Nagaland registered a narrow 1–0 win over Mizoram in the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025–26 Group D match at Umakanta Mini Stadium, Agartala, Tripura, on December 15, 2025.
The lone goal of the match came in the 9th minute through 21-year-old Yhoto Lohe, who converted from a corner kick. This is Yhoto’s third time representing Nagaland in the Santosh Trophy.
Mizoram, regarded as one of India’s football powerhouses with several players featuring in the I-League and other divisions, dominated possession for large parts of the match. Nagaland, with largely seasonal football exposure, adopted a disciplined defensive strategy.
Speaking to MT, Nagaland coach Lavoriyi Theluo said Mizoram were stronger in terms of positioning but added that Nagaland capitalised on its opportunity. “Yhoto was at the right place from the opening minute. We got a lot of chances especially in the first ten minutes,” he said.
Theluo said Manipur and Mizoram are naturally considered tough teams and that Nagaland’s approach was focused on defending. “We were able to execute what we planned and the game went accordingly,” he said.
Nagaland will next play Manipur on December 17 and Tripura on December 19. The group stage of the 79th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2025–26 is being held across nine venues from December 15 to 26, 2025, while the Final Round will be hosted in Assam in January 2026.
A total of 35 teams are competing in the group stage, which is divided into nine groups, with eight groups comprising four teams each and one group consisting of three teams. Only the group winners will qualify for the 12-team Final Round, where they will join host Assam, defending champions West Bengal, and last season’s runners-up Kerala.
Nagaland has been placed in Group D along with Mizoram, Manipur, and Tripura. All Group D matches are being hosted in Agartala, Tripura.
In the other Group D match played later in the evening on the same day, Manipur defeated Tripura 5–1.
