The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) game between Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC ended in a 1-1 draw at Fatorda, Goa on Sunday. Diego Mauricio scored first for Odisha in the eighth minute while Erik Paartalu found the equaliser in the 82nd.
The game started off on an aggressive note with both the teams trying their best to score from the very beginning. Bengaluru FC had a couple of chances in the fourth and the seventh minute but on both the occasions, there was not much power behind the shots and Arshdeep Singh collected the ball with ease.
In the eighth minute of the match, Odisha FC managed to take the lead out of nowhere. Jerry Mawihmingthanga took a quick free-kick after falling down and passed the ball to Manuel Onwu on the right flank. The Spaniard managed to cross it for Diego Mauricio who made no mistake in chipping the ball into the post.
There was a chance for BFC three minutes later when Udanta Singh managed to get past a few OFC players on the left flank and crossed the ball for Sunil Chhetri. However, the ball went past the latter with some pace and there was no danger for Odisha in the end.
Odisha had a chance in the 19th minute with some excellent passing skill from Daniel, Diego and Onwu. The ball reached Jerry on the right of the box but his shot went over the goalpost without even testing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
BFC did put more pressure towards the last 10-12 minutes of the first half. In the 35th minute, a combined defensive effort by OFC helped them negotiate a dangerous corner kick. In the 38th and 41st minutes, Arshdeep effected two sensational diving saves which ensured Odisha going into the break with a one-goal lead.
The second half was a well-contested one as well with BFC getting a free-kick early in the half. Kristian Opseth’s set-piece in the 48th minute was on target but Arsh managed to fist the ball away to avoid any danger for Odisha. Four minutes later, the OFC custodian pulled off a stellar diving save to stop an own goal after teammate Gaurav Bora had headed the ball back towards the goal.
Jerry had a great chance to double the lead in the 60th minute as he was one-on-one with Gurpreet after getting a fantastic through ball from Onwu. However, his shot on target was deflected away for a corner by the India international.
After two good chances went down the drain for BFC thanks to some good defensive and goalkeeping skills shown by the Odisha players, the Blues found the equaliser through a corner. Paartalu’s header went into the post despite Arshdeep getting his hand on that in the 82nd minute.
Three minutes after that the Kalinga Warriors had a great chance to regain the lead with Daniel getting the ball right in the middle of the BFC box. However, his shot hit the upright and went out. Right after that, Chhetri also failed to convert a chance at the other end by shooting the ball over the post.
Jerry and Gurpreet were one-on-one again in the 90th minute. The Mizo winger got the ball on the right side of the penalty area, settled down a bit and kicked it in the direction of the goal but Gurpreet dived to his right and made a good save which ensured the game ending in a 1-1 draw after exciting 90 minutes of breathtaking action at the Fatorda.
Stuart Baxter’s boys will now take on neighbouring team Jamshedpur FC in the next match on 1st February, Monday at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim.
