Bengaluru FC was staring at a 1-0 defeat before Erik Paartalu gave them their equaliser in the 82nd minute. The match ended in a 1-1 scoreline, which adds to the list of another such fixture in this season of the Hero Indian Super League. As there was nothing to differentiate between the two teams, the second fixture of today’s super-Sunday match ended as an entertaining draw as
The 70th match of the Hero ISL saw Bengaluru FC take on Odisha FC at the Fatorda Stadium. The Blues hadn’t been on their best run of late and have lost 5 of their last 6 games. On the other hand, Odisha FC was on a terrible run of form as well. They had been on the bottom of the points table for quite a while now.
Today’s match saw Odisha FC gain the lead just 8 minutes into the match and things seemed really good for the Kalinga Warriors. It was their talisman, Diego Mauricio that gave them their lead. Jerry Mawihmingthanga‘s quick free-kick to Manuel Onwu was ingenious, and the latter’s subsequent low pass was enough for Diego Mauricio to score, which was a surprise goal against the run of play.
Bengaluru FC’s woes continued as Odisha FC’s goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh pulled off some spectacular saves to keep their lead intact. There were many opportunities that the Blues created one after the other but Arshdeep Singh kept denying them. After a rare fumble by Arshdeep, Cleiton Silva took a curling free-kick just outside the box, which touched the crossbar before going out of the field.
It was finally in the 82nd minute that the Blues succeeded in scoring the equaliser from the header of Erik Paartalu. Cleiton Silva’s brilliant corner curled high and Erik Paartalu made no mistake in converting it. The match got fast-paced after that and both the teams showed more vigour to win more possession and score.
Daniel Lalhlimpuia‘s shot towards Bengaluru FC’s goal ended up hitting the woodwork. Sunil Chhetri also missed a sitter as his brilliant solo run ended with him skying the ball over the goal. The last miss came from the feet of Jerry Mawihmingthanga, as his brilliant shot during the 90th minute was denied by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Four minutes of extra time to the sides battle it out in the pitch but there wasn’t any decider for the audience. It was an amazing match of football which saw just two goals but a ton of good attempts and blistering saves inside the goalpost. The goalkeepers deserve a special mention as Arshdeep Singh pulled off a barrage of saves one after the other, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu too, for doing equally good.
Hero of the Match: Manuel Onwu
The award for the DHL Winning Pass of the Match went to Manuel Onwu for his assist to Diego Mauricio and the Hero of the Match award went to a deserving Cleiton Silva, as his 82nd minute assist and enormous presence in the Blues midfield was absolutely brilliant.
The Blues meet Hyderabad FC on the 28th of January, who had a draw match at their hand also this evening. Odisha FC will search for the elusive win in their next match against Jamshedpur FC on 1st February.
