Odisha FC wipe off Vishnu PV's early strike, seal comeback victory against East Bengal FC | ISL 2023-24

Despite Vishnu PV's 32-second opener putting them ahead, East Bengal FC plummeted to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Odisha FC in a vital ISL 2023-24 clash on Thursday.

The Juggernauts extended their lead at the summit with goals from Diego Mauricio and Princeton Rebello inspiring the comeback. Meanwhile, the Torchbearers will have to hope for a miracle to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Following Sergio Lobera's pre-match comments and the fearsome encounter in the Super Cup 2023, the neutrals had every reason to expect a fiery start from the Red and Gold Brigade. And Carles Cuadrat's cavalry didn't disappoint.

After being fed in the ball from a throw-in on the left flank, Vishnu PV scripted history with his boots, as he danced past three Odisha defenders, before tucking the ball into the near-post past a helpless Amrinder Singh.

Just 32 seconds on the clock and with the Kalinga Stadium still filling up, the hosts were trailing already and Lobera had been left dumbfounded. Meanwhile, there was no bound for Vishnu's euphoria as he became the fifth-fastest goalscorer in the ISL, and the fastest this season.

But not even the Juggernauts' strongest critics would rule a fightback and they got on with it straight away. Ahmed Jahouh set out to orchestrate Odisha FC's attack from the middle of the park and created a couple of half-chances for his teammates but none too consequential to affect the scoreline.

However, East Bengal themselves presented a way for the Kalinga Warriors to crawl back into the fixture when Mohammed Rakip tripped Diego Mauricio inside the box in the 40th minute. The referee didn't hesitate to award the penalty.

The Brazilian talisman stepped up to take the spot-kick against a charged-up Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, but the venomous strike had a goal written all over it. East Bengal's quickfire goal was cancelled out and Lobera's men were charged up for more.

The half-time break arrived soon after and the Torchbearers had all left to do in the second half.

---

Princeton Rebello's strike completes Odisha FC's comeback in the second half against East Bengal

After the break, Cuadrat realized that the momentum had completely shifted towards Odisha and he brought on a few of his more trusted personnel. Naorem Mahesh Singh and Souvik Chakraborty were brought on to ignite the attack, which was largely silent except for Vishnu.

Cleiton Silva was at the end of a gilt-edge opportunity in the 50th minute when Vazquez set him up with a perfectly weighted layoff. But the Brazilian forward ended up completely scuffing his effort. The miss would bite back the visitors 10 minutes later when Jahouh's stinging near-post delivery from the corner was turned home by Princeton.

The Red and Gold Brigade had once again sacrificed on their lead and Odisha marched to a three-point lead on the top. Ample efforts from East Bengal couldn't alter the writing on the wall and eventually, the Kolkata giants walked away with their seventh defeat of the season.