SC East Bengal vs Odisha FC: Who won yesterday's ISL 2021-22 match?

Odisha FC picked up a vital 2-1 victory against SC East Bengal in the ISL last night (February 7).

Jonathas de Jesus and Javi Hernandez scored a goal apiece from each other's assists for the Juggernauts, while Antonio Perosevic found the net for the Red and Gold Brigade.

The match began with a good tempo as Odisha FC looked to press high in a bid to win the ball off SC East Bengal. Aridai Cabrera, in particular, looked bright and even managed to hit the roof of the net with a cross-turned-chip from the left within the first minute.

The Red and Gold Brigade had to wait until the 22nd minute for their first real chance of the game.

A swift counter-attack saw Marcelo Ribeiro release Hira Mondal on the right. Mondal took a touch and unleashed a good shot but it was blocked over for a corner.

Javi Hernandez then went on a glorious run to ensure Odisha FC went ahead just two minutes later. Hernandez jinked past three SC East Bengal defenders on the left to get to the by-line and send a pass into the box.

Adil Khan and the rest of the defense were caught ball-watching as an unmarked de Jesus found the back of an open net at the far post.

The goal seemed to give the Juggernauts a boost as they looked to put Mario Rivera's side under even more pressure. One of their passages of play even saw Hernandez's cross deflect off Ribeiro and come back off the crossbar.

Antonio Perosevic and Ribeiro then exchanged passes to create the Red and Gold Brigade's next decent chance in the 35th minute. The latter set up Perosevic for a strike from outside the box but Victor Mongil and Lalruatthara got in the way to deflect it behind for a corner.

SC East Bengal continued to ramp up the pressure late in the half as they kept hold of the ball better. Mondal received one good chance from Perosevic's pass but skied his effort over the bar as the sides went into the break with Odisha FC holding a slender lead.

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Javi Hernandez's deflected effort sees Odisha FC dump SC East Bengal out of top-four contention

The Red and Gold Brigade continued to build on the momentum they generated at the end of the first half at the start of the second period. Rivera's troops dominated possession but lacked a killer instinct in the final third with Odisha FC holding an excellent shape off the ball.

Perosevic then had one of the best chances of the second half when a long ball bounced past Ribeiro and a couple of defenders. The Croatian got on the end of the pass and struck a fierce half volley but it went over the crossbar.

Ribeiro then had a chance of his own when Mondal sent a cross into the edge of the box, which was dummied by Naorem Mahesh Singh. It fell to Ribeiro, whose first-time strike was straight at Arshdeep Singh.

But Perosevic managed to get his side level in the 64th minute from a breakaway.

Franjo Prce lofted a hopeful ball forward, which the SC East Bengal forward received ahead of Lalruatthara. He then slid a left-footed finish across Arshdeep Singh that nestled in the bottom corner.

But Hernandez, who set up the first goal for his ISL team, scored the second to make it 2-1 in the 75th minute. This time, it was de Jesus' turn to run and dribble the ball past multiple SC East Bengal players before finding Hernandez on the edge of the box.

The Spaniard hit a right-footed effort that deflected off Prce to go beyond Sankar Roy and give Odisha FC the lead.

Click here for today's ISL match results.

De Jesus created another chance from himself when Hernandez sent a peach of a cross from the left. The Brazilian angled his body well to release a volley but it was straight at Roy.

Hernandez almost settled the game a few minutes later when some delightfully intricate play saw the ball ricochet off his feet. The Odisha FC midfielder once again glided past three defenders to chip the ball over Roy.

However, Mondal got back and made a goal-line clearance to keep SC East Bengal in the game.

The Red and Gold Brigade tried hard to get back into the game but ultimately slumped to their eighth defeat of the ISL season. They are now out of the reckoning for a top-four finish.

The Juggernauts, on the other hand, moved up to sixth place in the standings.