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Odisha FC made a remarkable comeback against East Bengal at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday, November 18. The hosts were two goals to the good at the half-time interval, but the Juggernauts produced a strong second-half display to cap off an impeccable display.
East Bengal's defending during the early moments of the game was rewarded with a goal at the other end. Suhair caught Odisha FC defense taking a nap and made a run behind their backline to square the ball to Semboi. The forward tapped the ball into an open net to break the deadlock.
Stephen Constantine's side capitalized on yet another defensive error. Kyriakou's hard tackle somehow flew away to Suhair, who gallopped on the left wing. The winger picked out Mahesh, who produced the final touch to drive the hosts into a formidable situation.
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Josep Gombau's side started troubling their opposition at the end of the first half when Nanda tied-up Raynier, whose header failed to hit the target. On another occasion, Kamaljit spilled Nanda's shot which rattled against the crossbar before Gonzalez cleared it to safety.
All of a sudden, Odisha FC pulled one back through substitute Pedro Martin in the 47th minute. The Spaniard combined well with Mauricio to reduce the deficit to one after Suhair missed a glaring chance at the other end. The new signing was once again in the thick of things when Diego Mauricio guided the ball to Pedro Martin. The substitute headed the ball into the back of the net to equalize the score in 2 minutes.
Odisha FC's turnaround was complete when one substitute assisted another substitute. Meitei's delicious cross beat the flying Kamaljit Singh to find Isaac, who headed the ball into an empty net to stun the Salt Lake Stadium. Nanda Kumar put the game beyond the eyesight of the hosts in the 76th minute. He chested the ball down, beat Sarthak and found the far post corner by opening his body up.
Odisha FC took a leap to the third spot in the table, while East Bengal currently sit at the eighth spot by procuring two victories in seven games.
We shall look at how players performed in a game that produced six goals.
East Bengal player ratings
Kamaljit Singh - 5/10: The goalkeeper was completely at fault for the third goal and partially at fault for the fourth goal. He failed to judge the ball's flight for the third goal and was easily beaten for the subsequent goal.
Ankit Mukherjee - 6/10: He contained Nanda Kumar well as long as he was on the pitch. He made a few interceptions and clearances.
Chungnunga Lal - 5.5/10: Similar to his teammates, Chungnunga Lal's second-half display has undone his first-half performance. He struggled to win the duels as Odisha went on to score 4 in 45 minutes.
Ivan Gonzalez - 6/10: Following a heroic display against Bengaluru FC, Ivan Gonzalez struggled to deal with Pedro Martin as he let the Spaniard get ahead of him for the opener. His presence negated opponents' threat in the first half.
Pritam Kumar Singh - 5.5/10: Pritam had a nightmare once Jerry came on in the second half. He struggled to contain the winger and was not effective offensively.
Jordan O'Doherty - 6.5/10: Jordan's second-half display was underwhelming as he was second to everything after producing an exhilarating first-half performance by winning possession back and keeping the midfield ticking with quick passes.
Charalambos Kyriakou - 8/10: Kyriakou was the catalyst for East Bengal's second goal when his firm challenge forced the ball to land at the feet of Suhair. He was forced to withdraw after suffering a head injury in the second half.
Mahesh Singh - 8/10: Mahesh Singh scored his second goal of the season, courtesy of a good pick-out by Suhair. The Indian international kept on tormenting Narendar in the first half and made a huge difference.
VP Suhair - 7/10: Suhair's vision helped East Bengal lead the game by two goals in the first half. His failure to convert an easy chance proved too costly for the Red and gold brigade.
Semboi: Semboi had an easy task of tapping the ball in after being tied up by Suhair. He was ineffective apart from the 23rd minute strike.
Cleiton Silva - 6.5/10: Cleiton Silva had an off day and was not involved much in the offensive parts of the game.
Substitutes:
Alex Lima - 6/10: He won possession back and tried to make things happen with his tireless running.
Sarthak Golui - 5/10: Sarthak's first contribution proved to be ineffective as he allowed Nanda to get past him easily to slot the ball behind the back of the net.
Himanshu Jangra - 5.5/10: He came close to cutting the deficit to one with a good shot from outside the penalty box. But, Amrinder was equal to the task.
Eliandro - 5/10: He failed to impact the game after coming on.
Tuhin Das - N/A: He came on during the closing stages of the game.
Odisha FC player ratings:p
Amrinder Singh - 6/10: Apart from two goals that he conceded, Amrinder was not tested as East Bengal were totally suffocated by Odisha FC in the second half.
Narendar Gahlot - 6.5/10: He made amends by producing a strong second-half display after Mahesh Singh got past him quite easily in the opening minutes of the game.
Osama Malik - 5/10: Osama Malik, who looked shaky throughout the first half, was forced to withdraw after the first half. The Australian was caught ball watching for both goals as Odisha conceded two goals before the half-time interval.
Carlos Delgado - 6/10: Carlos Delgado was often dragged out of position by Cleiton Silva in the first-half. His absence of mind helped Suhair make a run behind the defense for the game's opener.
Sahil Panwar - 5/10: Suhair was all over Sahil in the first half. The left-back struggled to deal with the threat possessed by the opponent winger. He was eventually taken off at the 45th minute mark.
Saul Crespo - 6.5/10: Sitting at the base of the midfield, Saul Crespo was alright. He kept the game ticking in the second half by passing the ball in between the opposition backline.
Thoiba Singh - 6.5/10: Thoiba Singh's spirited second-half display helped Odisha regain possession in the second half. His pressing to fizzle out the opponents' made a huge difference.
Isaac Vanmalsawma - 5/10: Isaac failed to act decisive after getting into a couple of promising positions in the first half. He was nowhere to be seen apart from that.
Raynier Fernandes - 5/10: Raynier's fourth start of the season didn't end on a high as he struggled to control the game and failed to take a chance in the first half. He was one of three players to pave the way before the second half.
Nanda Kumar - 8/10: Nanda Kumar looked lively throughout the game. The winger should've capped off a good display with a goal and an assist. However, he was unlucky not to be on the assist chart after Raynier failed to hit the target.
Diego Mauricio - 8/10: Diego Mauricio was the creator for both goals after struggling to make a difference in the first half. The Brazilian played as a second striker once Pedro Martin came on and gave a tough time to East Bengal's backline.
Substitutes:
Pedro Martin - 10/10: Pedro Martin scored twice in three minutes in the second half and made an instant impact after coming on as a substitute after the half-time interval. Josep Gombau will be left with a selection headache with more than three quarters of the season left.
Nikhil Prabhu - 7/10: Nikhil negated the threat of Silva and Eliandro by staying close with them. He won aerial duels and contributed to the side by playing out from the back.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga - 8/10: Substitution of Jerry proved to be yet another masterstroke from Gombau. He worked hard to make things happen through the right wing. His hardwork eventually paid off when he found the back of the net to steer Odisha FC to the lead.
Denechandra Meitei - 7/10: The substitute whipped in a delicious cross to find Jerry to complete an unbelievable comeback. He was crucial in setting the tempo at the backline as well.
Victor Rodriguez - 7/10: Gombau would've been happy with Victor's cameo. He was running hard to shun down the threat possessed by their opponents.
