Odisha FC come from behind to secure a point against East Bengal

Odisha FC and East Bengal played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the Group B fixture at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri on Sunday, April 9.

The Juggernauts began the game with intent as they looked to play short and quick passes while targeting the flanks. The likes of Nandhakumar Sekar, Diego Mauricio, and Victor Rodriguez constantly interchanged possession and looked to get in behind East Bengal’s defense.

Mauricio had the game’s first chance in the 12th minute. He received the ball with his back to goal and cleverly deceived Lalchungnunga around the edge of the box. However, Kamaljit Singh made a stunning double save, first parrying away Mauricio’s hit before pulling off a reflex save to deny Nandhakumar.

Odisha were in the ascendency, but East Bengal’s aggressive press paid dividends. As the Juggernauts looked to play out from the back, Mobashir Rahman pinched the ball away from Narender Gahlot and curled it into the back of the net past a helpless Amrinder Singh.

Clifford Miranda’s men kept probing despite going behind, but they struggled in the final third. Meanwhile, the Red and Gold Brigade were content to absorb the pressure and hit their opponents on the break. East Bengal went into the break with a 1-0 lead, with only one shot on target.

Odisha FC and East Bengal share the spoils

East Bengal looked threatening at the start of the second half, with Jake Jervis moving centrally to partner Cleiton Silva. The pair linked up brilliantly in the 49th minute as Silva’s through ball found Jervis, but Amrinder Singh was quick off his line to save the Englishman’s effort.

After a period of East Bengal dominance, Odisha went direct, aiming to use Mauricio’s physicality up front. They had their best chance of the second half around the hour mark, but Victor Rodriguez’s close-range effort was pushed away by Kamaljit Singh to preserve East Bengal’s lead.

With the Juggernauts chasing an equalizer, the game became end-to-end, which suited East Bengal. Jervis was in the thick of the action as his pace posed huge problems for Odisha’s defense.

However, Miranda’s men showed character and scored a deserved equalizer in the 74th minute. Mauricio drifted wide and used his physicality to wriggle past full-back Athul Unnikrishnan before teeing up Nandhakumar, who side-footed the ball into the net.

The Kolkata-based giants continued to break away with pace and towards the end of the game, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Silva linked up. The Brazilian then played a reverse pass to Jervis, whose tame effort was pushed onto the post by Amrinder.

The thrilling second half ended with East Bengal on the front foot. But they missed a couple of half chances, and as a result, the game ended on level terms.

It was certainly an even contest, but both managers will not be content with the result considering Hyderabad FC’s victory against Aizawl FC in the earlier game on Sunday, April 9.

East Bengal will now face Hyderabad FC, while Odisha FC will be up against Aizawl FC on Thursday, April 13.