Bengaluru FC vs Odisha FC: Juggernauts win their first-ever Hero Super Cup title
Odisha FC ushered in the euphoria of winning the first-ever silverware in the club's history when they defeated Bengaluru FC 1-2 in the Hero Super Cup 2023 final on Tuesday, April 25.
Continuing his clinical run-of-form in the tournament, Diego Mauricio scored a brace to write a historic chapter for the Juggernauts.
As the skies opened up over the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, both sides started the match on a positive note, eyeing any possible slip-ups from their opposition. The slip-up did arrive and it wasn't trivial either.
Suresh Singh Wangjam brought down Odisha FC's creator-in-chief Victor Rodriguez just outside the Bengaluru FC box in the 22nd minute as the referee was quick to award a free-kick.
Mauricio stepped up to preside over the dead-ball situation and whipped in a timid effort that traveled right into the grasp of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. However, the veteran shot-stopper had a moment of lapse as the ball spilled out of his hands and crawled over the line.
Simon Grayson and Bengaluru FC were left stunned as they now trailed in the grand finale, somewhat against the run of play. However, Blues skipper Sunil Chhetri had an opportunity at the other end of the pitch to level the proceedings. Udanta Singh worked his magic down the right flank to whip in a looping ball, but Chhetri was inches away from troubling the net.
The Juggernauts were switched on and piled on Bengaluru FC's misery as the minutes rolled by. Victor was once again in the thick of things as he pelted in a curling cross towards the far post. Jerry Mawihmingthanga was perfectly positioned to direct the ball into the middle with a cushioned header. Mauricio was the quickest to react and evaded his marker before nudging it into the back of the net.
Just like that, Bengaluru were trailing by two goals, Clifford Miranda's Odisha FC were cruising to their first-ever piece of silverware. Just before the half-time whistle, the Blues had another scare when Jerry ran into the opposition box and unleashed a shot that clipped the crossbar on its way out.
Odisha FC ride Bengaluru FC's attacking waves to clinch the Hero Super Cup 2023 title
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Given the lack of character shown by his players in the first half, Simon Grayson opted for wholesale changes after the half-time break. Namgyal Bhutia, Rohit Kumar, and Udanta Singh made way for Pablo Perez, Aleksandar Jovanovic, and Sivasakthi Narayan, respectively.
Despite the changes, the Kalinga Warriors were still on top in the initial exchanges as Mauricio tested Gurpreet with a low effort. But the goalkeeper parried away the effort and Thoiba Singh couldn't direct the rebound into the net.
Sivasakthi's introduction gave the Blues a potent counter-attacking threat that they tried to utilize throughout. But Javi Hernandez's absence continued to hurt Bengaluru FC as they lacked control in the middle of the park.
Mauricio kept getting into dangerous areas and forced the Bengaluru defense to be on their toes. However, in a controversial call, the referee awarded a penalty after substitute Aniket Jadhav brought down Sivasakthi inside the Odisha FC box. Although it didn't look like a convincing foul, Sunil Chhetri converted the resulting spot-kick with aplomb.
With the equalizer now just a kick away, Bengaluru FC grew impatient and hungry but Odisha FC kept their calm until the final whistle. Ultimately, Mauricio's brace and Miranda's tactical expertise was enough to get the Juggernauts across the finish line, as they now have the first piece of ornament to grace their trophy cabinet.
Odisha FC will now play in the AFC Cup play-offs against Gokulam Kerala FC on Saturday, April 29.