Odisha FC thumped Mohun Bagan Super Giant 5-2 to knock the Kolkata side out of the AFC Cup.
Sergio Lobera’s side reacted brilliantly to conceding an early goal to put pressure on a Bagan defence that wilted in the face of it. Odisha will now host Bashundhara Kings on December 11, where a win will take them through to the knockout stages of the AFC Cup.
In a match that was littered with fantastic goals, Hugo Boumous gave the hosts the lead after superb play from Liston Colaco and Asish Rai, but from there, Odisha took over, largely thanks to a sensational performance from Ahmed Jahouh in the centre of midfield.
The Moroccan pulled the strings and gave Odisha control in midfield, which ensured the likes of Roy Krishna, Diego Mauricio and Cy Goddard could show their skill further up the field.
It was Krishna who gave Odisha the equaliser with a thumping volley after a poor Asish Rai clearance. The Fijian then set up Mauricio for a tap-in from close range, before Mauricio’s through ball to Goddard gave Odisha a commanding lead at the break.
Juan Ferrando put Kiyan Nassiri on early in the second half, and the youngster was a constant menace for the Odisha defence, even before he scored with a sensational header off a Boumous cross.
Bagan tried to apply pressure, and hit the bar twice, through Liston and Sahal Abdul Samad, but eventually, Odisha added two more goals in injury time, as Krishna set up Aniket Jadhav first, and then a superb Jahouh pass found Isak Ralte in space, and the young man saw Vishal Kaith off his line to dink it over him.
Odisha, after beginning their AFC Cup campaign with two successive losses, now have three wins in a row, and momentum on their side ahead of that final group game in Bhubaneswar against Bashundhara Kings, which will decide South Asia’s representatives in the AFC Cup Interzonal Playoffs.
You can relive all the action as it happened, in our live blog below.
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