NorthEast United FC 2-1 Odisha FC. The Highlanders take all the three points from the match as Redeem Tiang scored a goal in the 2nd minute. Xisco Hernandez equalized with less than 20 minutes to go. Carlos Delgado was sent off a minute after Xisco's goal and Asamoah Gyan got his first goal in India as he scored the winner of the match. The Highlanders have broken the hoodoo of drawing at home by taking all the three points in Robert Jarni's first match at home. Thank you for staying till the end, it was an absolute joy bringing all the updates from the match. My name is Mohak Arora, thank you for tuning in.
90+4' Odisha try to take a quick free kick and mess it up with Khwarling through on goal but the midfielder blazes his shot high and it ends up in the crowd.
84' GOAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!! Gyan scores. The Ghanian legend scores his first goal in India. Everyone missed the ball at the near post and it falls to the unmarked Gyan who heads it into the back of the net.
83' Redeem Tiang's shot is blocked after the goalkeeper is out of the equation, Gyan then sets up his skipper Jose Leudo and the Odisha FC defenders put their body on the line to keep the ball out of their net.
72' Just after equalizing, Carlos Delgado is shown a red card for a foul just outside the 18-yard box. The Spanish centre half is deemed to be the last man for his side and gets a red card for his offence. Odisha have a huge task ahead of them now.
71' GOAAAALLLLLLL!! An equalizer from Xisco Hernandez. The Spanish No. 10 gets a crucial goal in the match. A Diagne cross from the right hand side finds Xisco and he side foots the ball into the back of the net. All level. Northeast 1-1 Odisha.
69' Marcos Tebar is fouled just outside the box but Xisco takes the shot and there is no free kick awarded by the referee. Yellow card shown to Wayne Vaz for the offence.
68' Three quarters of the game have finished and only one to go. Odisha FC are trying to get the equalizer while the home side want to hold on to their lead and take the crucial three points from this match.
64' A cross from Narayan Das finds its way to Aridane who dummies and allows Xisco to take a shot but the Spanish No.10 can't sort his feet out in time to get a shot away.
57' Nanda Kumar gets in behind the home defense with his lightening speed. A sliding challenge from Kai Heerings put off the young forward and his shot is blocked by Wayne Vaz.
46' A double change from Josep Gambau at the half time break. Diawandou Diagne comes on for the booked Shubham Sarangi while Martin Guedes makes way for Nanda Kumar.
HALF TIME! NorthEast United go into the half-time break with a win courtesy of a 2nd minute goal by Redeem Tiang, the fastest goal in the club's history. Odisha FC have taken the charge of the match since but slow build-up has been their undoing in most cases.
38' A yellow card shown to Triadis for fouling Xisco Hernandez. The away side are stamping their dominance over the match and are getting closer to the much needed equalizer.
35' HITS THE CROSSBAR!! A free kick put in from the right hand side finds the head of Carlos Delgado and Roy comes up with an excellent fingertip save that pushes the ball onto the crossbar and allows the defenders to clear it out of the danger.
34' An accurate cross-field ball from Narayan Das allows Jerry to break in from the right hand side and the Mawhmingthanga and Roy makes the easy save.
29' Accurate passing and patience from Odisha midfielders open up an opportunity but Xisco Hernandez puts too much power in his cross and it's out for a goal-kick.
25' Slick passing from NorthEast United midfielders opens up the Odisha FC defense but Asamoah Gyan's cross was cleared by the last man back for the away side.
20' Shubham Sarangi is shown a yellow card for pulling back the shirt of Triadis. The referee is forced to go to his pocket in order to calm the mood on the pitch.
17' The midfield battles are heating up as the referee has blown the whistle a couple of times in the the last minute. No bookings though, the referee stays away from his pocket.
12' Both the sides are trying to put pressure on the opposition defenders. The match is being played at a quick tempo between the two sides from the eastern part of the country.
8' Odisha have a free-kick 25 yards away from goal in a central position on the pitch. Martin Guedes puts it over the wall and straight in the hands of Subhashish Roy.
2' GOALLLLL!!! Redeem Tiang Scores well early into the game. It was a pass by Triadis that set up Tiang who didn't waste a second as he slotted the ball past the visiting goalkeeper. The home side take an early lead in the match.
Both the teams have walked out in front of the NorthEast United fans who have been eagerly waiting for the first home game of the season. The respective skippers of both the teams are present as the referee tosses the coin in the air.
Visiting manager Josep Gambau has also made a couple of changes as the 28-year old Argentine winger Martin Guedes has come in for Nanda Kumar and Arshdeep Kumar starts in goal.
Robert Jarni has made a huge call as he has decided to leave out Mislav Komorski and play Wayne Vaz in his position. Nikhil Kadam has also made way for the Greek winger Pangiotis Triadis as he starts alongside Gyan and Chavez, making up a powerful front three. In midfield, Milan Singh is preferred to Lalthathanga Khawlhring.
Line-ups are out NorthEast United (4-3-3): Subhashish Roy (GK), Reagan Singh, Kai Heerings, Wayne Vaz, Rakesh Pradhan, Jose Leudo, Milan Singh, Redeem Tiang, Martin Chaves, Asamoah Gyan, Panagiotis Triadis Odisha FC (4-3-3): Arshdeep Singh (GK), Shubham Sarangi, Rana Gharami, Carlos Delgado, Narayan Das, Marcos Tebar, Vinit Rai, Xisco Hernandez, Martin Guedes, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Aridane Santana
Odisha FC began their 2019-20 campaign with a 2-1 defeat to a 10-man Jamshedpur FC. Aridane Santana scored a goal after Rana Gharami put the ball in his own net. In the 85th minute, Sergio Castel came up with a match-winning goal that could prove crucial later in the season.
NorthEast United FC started their ISL 2019-20 season with a 0-0 draw against Bengaluru FC. Their forwards, Asamoah Gyan and Martin Chavez linked up brilliantly and showed promise in their partnership up-front. Their new defensive partnership of Kai Heerings and Mislav Komorski were impressive as they held up a strong Bengaluru FC attack.
A side that let go of their manager, captain, leading goalscorer from last season and their first-choice goalkeeper coming up against a team that has struggled to bag victories in the previous few seasons of the Indian Super League, NorthEast United FC vs Odisha FC looks to be a promising encounter.
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The Highlanders have broken the hoodoo of drawing at home by taking all the three points in Robert Jarni's first match at home. Thank you for staying till the end, it was an absolute joy bringing all the updates from the match. My name is Mohak Arora, thank you for tuning in.