East Bengal and Odisha FC drew 1-1 in their first Super Cup 2023 encounter. The match was on Sunday at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri.
With the points split, the two teams are tied for first place in Group B. Just one point behind Hyderabad FC, who defeated Aizawl FC earlier in the day.
Odisha’s star forward Diego Mauricio was on the offensive straight from the start. The Brazilian made many aggressive movements to put Odisha ahead. He made some progress, but he was caught offside three times in the opening 15 minutes.
East Bengal, on the other hand, were very quiet in terms of assaults, with only one effort on the opposing goal in the first half. The effort, on the other hand, resulted in a goal.
East Bengal seized the lead in the 38th minute after Odisha defender Narender Gahlot threw the ball away in the danger zone, putting Mobashir Rahman one-on-one with the custodian. The 25-year-old capped it off in style with a curling shot off the post.
The twist in match
During the break, Stephen Constantine’s East Bengal appeared to seize control of the game, with Jake Jervis coming close to scoring twice. The Englishman’s greatest chance came in the 50th minute. It was when he got a break and only had Amrinder Singh to work with. But, the Indian national football team custodian held firm and stopped the winger’s grounded attempt.
Odisha made the crucial breakthrough in the 72nd minute. Diego Mauricio dribbled past the ever-present Athul Unnikrishnan on the left wing and found Nandha Kumar on the outskirts of the box. Nandha calmly put the ball in to tie the game at 1-1 and pull his team back into it.
East Bengal will play against Aizawl FC on April 17. While Odisha will play table-toppers Hyderabad on the same day at Manjeri.
Follow our Twitter Handle for more updates.
Read More :-FC Goa has named a team of 26 players to defend the Hero Super Cup
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on: