Odisha FC is fourth on the table with 21 points from 13 matches and a five-point advantage over fifth-placed Mumbai City, which has a game in hand.
ISL Match no 59: Odisha FC strengthened their playoff hopes with a 2-1 win over Hyderabad FC in Indian Super League (ISL). Marcelinho (1′) gave the hosts an early lead but Aridane Santana (15′, 45′) netted a brace to help the visitors complete a comeback. Thanks to their fourth win in a row, Odisha are now placed fourth on the table with 21 points from 13 matches.
For Odisha, this was the fourth straight win. For the sparse holiday crowd, there was something to cheer straight away, thanks to the brilliance of Marcelinho who showed great opportunism to slot in a right-footer to beat the Odisha custodian from a very difficult angle. It all started with Bobo’s diagonal cross to Nestor Gordillo on the right flank. He in turn relayed a cross to the approaching Nikhil Poojary whose attempt was thwarted by goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro. But, the rebound was just good enough for Marcelinho to find the target in the 40th second of the match.
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Goa | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 14 | 24 |
| Bengaluru FC | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 22 |
| ATK | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 21 |
| Odisha FC | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 16 | 21 |
| Mumbai City FC | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 16 |
| Kerala Blasters FC | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| Jamshedpur Football Club | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| Chennaiyin FC | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 19 | 12 |
| NorthEast United FC | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 11 |
| Hyderabad FC | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 31 | 5 |
Odisha fought back remarkably well soon through Aridane Santana who capitalised on a goalmouth melee. Shubham Sarangi’s throw-in was latched on to by Carlos Delgado inside the box and his shot was saved by goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh, but the lurking Aridane was quick to seize on the rebound to score the equaliser in the 15th minute. This also resulted in Hyderabad debutant Dimple Bhagat getting an yellow card for dangerous play.
Hyderabad had a chance to nudge ahead but Bobo, who had a forgetful evening, failed to convert the spot kick, awarded in the 33rd minute after Nestro’s cross deflected off defender Sarangi’s arm. Ironically, it was a penalty which saw Odisha take what turned out to be a match-winning lead when Bhagat committed a serious foul on an advancing Santana who positioned himself beautifully for a cross. The Spaniard was spot on in the 45th minute to trigger off celebrations in his camp and it was a double blow too as Bhagat was given second a yellow card too just before half-time.
Odisha could have scored the third goal but was thwarted by the efficacy of custodian Kamaljit and Ashish Rai who stopped Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Aridane from scoring. Even in the dying minutes, Hyderabad had a chance to remind the fans of its reputation of scoring late goals – it has scored seven of the 13 so far this season after 75 minutes of play. But, Odisha goalkeeper Dorronsoro brought off a brilliant save to ward off a superb header from Giles Barnes and soon even Bobo’s attempt from close range went over the bar. By all means, it was a spirited display by Hyderabad after head coach Phil Brown was sacked and assistant coach Mehrajuddin Wadoo took charge even as new head coach Albert Roca watched the proceedings from the stands.
This article was originally published in Sportstar.com