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After an enthralling restart, the Indian Super League shifted to Pune as Odisha played out a goalless draw against ATK, at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium
ATK, carrying a three-match win streak, was clear favourites before kick-off in Pune. However, Odisha FC was well prepared and took Antonio Lopez Habas' side by surprise. ATK were left chasing the ball as the home side enjoyed the larger share of possession in the first half. The Kolkata side missed their attacking prowess during the period and the match remained goalless at half-time.
After the break, the visitors put in an improved performance, but couldn't get past the keeper. Habaz' attacking substitutions of Jobby Justin and Edu Garcia did not reward him with the goal. On the other hand, Josep Gombau continued attacking through his wingers on both sides. The team made an impressive outing, perfectly implementing the gaffer's 'build from the back' strategy. However, Odisha too would regret the two points they dropped after dictating the tempo of the game.
Now, we take a look at three reasons why the contest ended in a goalless draw.
#3 ATK clueless in attack
Antonio Lopez Habas' side had scored a total of ten goals from four matches before this fixture. They had three players with three goals each in the likes of Roy Krishna, David Williams and Edu Garcia. However, ATK were absolutely clueless at the attacking third for a major part of the game.
The routine combination between David Williams and Roy Krishna was missing, and the player at the finishing point usually fluffed his line. ATK had a golden opportunity when David Williams plotted a dangerous cross to Roy Krishan inside the box. But, the former Wellington Phoenix striker failed to connect the ball and get past the Odisha custodian.
Javier Hernandez, who had a good day at the midfield, too did not enjoy his time at the attacking end. The Spanish player was set up by Roy Krishna from a counter-attack, only to be saved by Arshdeep Singh.
The manager tried his luck in the second half by introducing Jobby Justin and Edu Garcia. Though the side improved their performance after the break, ATK lacked the power to break the deadlock.
#2 Odisha fails to convert after building up from the back
Overcoming the table-topper was indeed a tough ask for Josep Gombau's Odisha FC. However, the gaffer was never on his back-foot with the tactics as he searched for all three points throughout the game.
Against a team like ATK, known for their brilliance in attack, Gombau dared to build the play from the back. His defence line backed the system well by taking the ball to the two wingers - Jerry Mawhmingthanga and Nandakumar Sekar. Still, the final product stayed away from Odisha as ATK dealt with the balls without much difficulty.
Later on, the strategy became more predictable and the two-time champions were happy to sit back and deal on the flank to produce a counter-attack aimed at Roy Krishna.
Even though OFC displayed good potential on the offensive note, they couldn't capitalise on the chances created. If the midfielders had mixed it up with a few defence splitting passes, they would have collected all three points from the contest.
#1 Odisha FC solid at the back
If ATK was sharpless in the attack, it was due to Odisha FC's brilliance in the defence. All the four players at the back made vital contributions and faced the best attack in the league with confidence.
Shubham Sarangi and Narayan Das were at their top to deny any space for the ATK wingers. Michael Soosairaj and Prabir Das were totally kept out of the frame by the full-backs. On occasions where ATK surpasses the two, the midfielders outnumbered them to win the ball back.
A draw would have been impossible for Odisha if not for their two centre-backs - Diawandou Diagne and Carlos Delgado. The former was spectacular on the field and outshined Roy Krishna at all times. While Diagne made three tackles and eleven clearances, Delgado supported with seven clearances.
Arshdeep Singh, who came in place of Francisco Dorronsoro, had a fine outing under the bars, saving all the three shots that were on target.
The one point that Odisha FC earned from the encounter was largely due to their disciplined backline.
