ISL 2022-23: Mauricio's brace dents East Bengal's playoff challenge as Odisha FC move to fifth
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jan 7, 2023, 10:19 PM ISTDiego Mauricio continued his fine form, bagging his second brace for Odisha FC in as many games as they put an end to their four-game winless streak to move into fifth place on the ISL 2022-23 table on Saturday.
Diego Mauricio continued his fine form, bagging his second brace for Odisha FC in as many games as they ended their four-game winless streak to move into fifth place on the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 table on Saturday.
Odisha FC fell behind early in the first half at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar but gave their home support much to cheer about as they outscored East Bengal FC for the remainder of the game.
. do the double over with another comeback win! 🟣✅ pic.twitter.com/dTmtIdX5NL
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The season's top scorer, Cleiton Silva, gave East Bengal FC the lead in the 10th minute by taking advantage of an error by Odisha FC keeper Amrinder Singh. Amrinder rushed out hesitantly in response to Alex Lima's lofted pass over the right side of the defence and ended up stranded. Silva chipped the ball from a tight angle with no hesitation, giving the visitors the lead.
Minutes later, when Thoiba Singh received the ball from Mauricio as he drove into the area and found Jerry Mawihmingthanga unmarked at the far post, Odisha FC came close to tying the score. The forward pushed the ball wide of the far post of an open goal because he could not maintain his balance.
The hosts didn't have to wait for long, either, as Raynier Fernandes sent a cross from a corner kick into the six-yard box with no opposition from East Bengal FC. A few yards in front of the goalkeeper, Mauricio was located by him, and the striker used his right foot to score.
Also read: ISL 2022-23: Chennaiyin FC fight back to pick up a point against Jamshedpur FC
Odisha FC then scored goals on either side of the halftime whistle to end the game. Nandhakumar Sekar, who was attempting to cross the ball in from the left but instead ended up slicing it with his left foot, was fortunate to score the first of those. The soccer ball continued on its normal course and eventually got past East Bengal FC goalkeeper Suvam Sen to go into the goal.
Mauricio scored his second goal shortly into the second half. Once more, Fernandes was the one to set him up by moving into central midfield's right side and slipping the ball into the gap for Mauricio on the right side of the box. The striker scooped up the ball, maintained his poise without a defensive rush, and dinked the ball beyond Sen's left shoulder and into the near post.
From then on, East Bengal FC created many opportunities while attempting to push players forward in large numbers. They came near on a few occasions but never with any conviction. After a flurry in the area, Ankit Mukherjee could slip the ball past Amrinder's near post in the 85th minute, but the attempt was ruled offside. As the final whistle approached, there was a stretch of end-to-end football in which neither team could offer the other much to worry about.
It's a brace for as make it 3-1 🟣⚽
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Eventually, Odisha FC picked up the three points that put them ahead of FC Goa in the playoffs race. They travel to Bengaluru on January 14 to add to their tally. East Bengal FC stay in ninth place with a game in hand over Bengaluru FC, and return home on January 13 to host Jamshedpur FC.
Key stats:
- Amrinder faced nine shots and was forced to make five saves
- Fernandes created four chances in total, the most by any player on the pitch
- Aside from his two goals and an assist, Mauricio also had the best passing accuracy of anyone on the pitch with 94%
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