Odisha FC rout Mohun Bagan 5-2 in their own den | AFC Cup 2023
Odisha FC trounced Mohun Bagan Super Giant by a margin of 5-2 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on Monday evening on October 27 in the AFC Cup.
Both sides went into the game in dire need of a victory to maintain their hopes of reaching the next round. Bashundhara Kings had defeated Maziya S&RC in a game earlier to takepole position in the group on ten points.
It was the hosts who began the game on the front foot, launching an array of attacks at Amrinder Singh's goal. Just after kickoff, Jason Cummings felt he had been brought down in Odisha's box but the referee thought otherwise. The Aussie was left outraged at the decision.
Sahal Abdul Samad found himself through on goal in the 6th minute but his shot was well saved by Amrinder. The flag subsequently went up, ruling Sahal offside. Mohun Bagan went very close in the 13th minute when Liston Colaco's freekick ended up mere inches away from goal, struck in his trademark knuckle-ball style.
The pressure mounted from Bagan and culminated in a goal, scored by Hugo Boumous in the 17th minute. A long ball over the top of Odisha's defense fell for the French-Moroccan who ran to the byline before cutting inside and slotting past the goalkeeper with ease.
It was as if the Juggernauts had gotten a wake-up call. Diego Mauricio managed to get a shot away at the Mariners' goal, drawing a routine save from Vishal Kaith in the 20th minute.
This was followed by a whirlwind of attacks from Odisha FC in the second half of the first 45 minutes. It resulted in as many as three goals. As Odisha piled up the pressure, Roy Krishna made a late run into the box and scored with a fierce volley into the roof of the net in the 28th minute. The scores were level.
Just a minute later, the Juggernauts were awarded a freekick in Bagan's half a few yards ahead of the centre circle. Ahmed Jahouh played a low pass into the box latched onto by Roy Krishna. The Fijian international drove in a low hard cross from the right which Diego Mauricio turned in with ease.
However, Odisha FC were far from done. Mauricio played Cy Goddard through with a pass into the left-hand channel. The Japanese cut in with his right foot and scored with aplomb. The teams went into the break with a 3-1 margin in favour of the away side.
Juan Ferrando made two changes to his eleven at the hour mark, bringing on Kiyan Nassiri for Armando Sadiku and Anirudh Thapa for Glan Martins.
Kiyan Nassiri proved to be a livewire after coming on, causing mayhem in the OFC box.
Hugo Boumous picked up the ball in the 63rd minute and crossed in from the left wing. Kiyan leaped into the air and connected perfectly with the ball which nestled into Amrinder's top corner.
This goal was followed by a dominant spell by Mohun Bagan as they threatened an equalizer. Sahal hit the crossbar in the 66th minute after Kiyan headed down the ball in his direction.
Kiyan found himself in the thick of things yet again in the 74th minute as he swivelled past three OFC players, broke into the box and launched a sizzling strike, which unfortunately hit the side netting.
Odisha soon crept back into the game with their own counterattacks. In the 84th minute, Narender Gehlot failed to convert a simple finish at the far post from a delectable Ahmed Jahouh freekick.
Their efforts soon paid off and in tremendous fashion. Five minutes of injury time were added after the match hit the 90-minute mark. In the 2nd minute of added time, substitute Aniket Jadhav pounced on a low cross down the right from Roy Krishna to steer Odisha FC to victory.
However, it was the 22-year-old Isak Vanlalruatfela who added the cherry on top of Odisha's commanding win tonight. Receiving the ball in his own half, Ahmed Jahouh played a superb long ball over the top of Bagan's defensive line for the youngster. Noticing Vishal Kaith off his line, the youngster dinked the custodian to seal the 5-2 rout.
The win today over the reigning Indian Super League (ISL) champions further proves the quality work that Sergio Lobera has done with this Odisha FC side. The team from Bhubaneshwar will now take on first-placed Bashundhara Kings in their final fixture of Group D in the AFC Cup. They will go through to the next round with a win or a draw.
For Mohun Bagan, their misery continues. The Kolkata-based team is now winless in their last three AFC Cup encounters, with progression to the next round now in doubt. Bagan will have to defeat Maziya S&RC in their last game and need Bashundhara to defeat Odisha as well.
Juan Ferrando will be hoping that his squad doesn't sustain any more injuries as they take on Hyderabad FC in the ISL at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on December 2. Odisha FC will return to action against Jamshedpur FC in an away fixture on December 1.