ISL: Odisha FC wins the opening leg against Mohun Bagan
Bhubaneswar: On Tuesday night, during the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023–24, Odisha FC defeated the Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-1 in the first leg of their semifinal match at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. With all three goals scored in the first half of the match, the Juggernauts were able to achieve their first-ever ISL victory against the Mariners after nine tries in a game of narrow margins.
The Mohun Bagan team, led by Antonio Lopez Habas, took an early lead in the third minute thanks to a goal from Manvir Singh. However, Carlos Delgado and Roy Krishna each scored once to help Odisha maintain their undefeated home record this season (13 games) as they prepared for the second leg of their last-four match on Sunday at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. After receiving a few yellow cards each, Mohun Bagan attackers Armando Sadiku and Delgado were sent off in the 67th and 74th minutes, respectively, bringing a conclusion to this fiercely fought match with ten men on each side.
On December 10, 2016, Manvir scored the second-fastest goal in the ISL playoffs, only surpassed by Lalrindika Ralte’s ATK strike against Mumbai City FC. The lively attacker Dimitrios Petratos brought the ball to him from a corner.
However, Odisha was not far behind, as nine minutes later, the team of Ahmed Jahouh and Delgado responded in a same manner. With accuracy, the Moroccan delivered a corner kick, and Delgado found a way through a packed 18-yard box to put the ball in the back of the goal.
After a tight back-and-forth exchange of plays, Krishna eventually broke through with the game’s winning goal in the 39th minute. Custodian Amrinder Singh saw a rare chance as the Mariners attempted to press high from an Odisha goal-kick and sent a long ball directly towards Krishna inside the Mohun Bagan half. After bringing the ball down with his head, Krishna raced past Hector Yuste and placed it past Vishal Kaith to score his 13th goal of the season, becoming the highest-scoring player for Odisha in a single ISL season.
