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Football

Durand Cup 2022: Odisha FC decimate Kerala Blasters FC 2-0

Odisha FC resumed their winning streak at the Durand Cup on Tuesday, defeating a tenacious Kerala Blasters 2-0 in a group D encounter at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.

Odisha FC won its second consecutive match thanks to two goals in the second half, one by Issac Vanmalsawma Chhakchhuak and the other by Perdo Martin. Odisha now leads Group D with six points after two games, while the Kerala Blasters have one point.

Odisha came into this match having demolished NorthEast United FC 6-0 in their tournament opener, while Kerala had a 1-1 tie with Sudeva Delhi in their first face off of the Durand Cup.

Issac Vanmalsawma scored the first goal in the 51st minute, and Saul Crespo made it 2-0 in the 74th minute, giving Odisha its second straight win.

The Kerala blasters hardly put the Odisha defence to the test. On the other hand Odisha’s veteran team exploited its flanks to put supreme pressure on the Blasters.

odisha fc1The Blasters’ defence held firm under pressure and prevented Odisha from scoring in the first half.

The wingbacks Shubham Sarangi and Thoiba Singh Moirangthem created issues for the Kerela Blasters’ defence by playing high up the field and making numerous runs through the sides. Jerry had the first chance. He had scored twice in the last game, but this time his shot went right at the Kerela Blasters goalkeeper Sachin Suresh, who did a good job stopping the goal.

Vanmalsawma had Odisha’s best chance to score in the first half, but he shot straight at Blasters goalkeeper Sachin Suresh, who did well to block it. The Kerala Blasters commenced the second half with a lot of energy, but Odisha FC took over and started making more chances. The forward line worked well together and put pressure on the Blasters inside their own box. Vanmalsawma gave Odisha the lead with a shot in the 51st minute. The 25-year-old picked up the ball in the middle of the box after a pass from the second-half replacement Diego Mauricio, and he did the job well.

The attacks kept coming, and the second goal came from a scuffle inside the Blasters penalty area from a Jerry corner. The ball was headed on goal by another second-half sub, Australian Osama Malik, and the rebound off the defender was grabbed on to by Saul Pedro, who tapped in to double the lead. The opportunities continued coming for Josep Gombau’s side, as Saul Crespo made a line-breaking pass to Mauricio, who was through on goal, but his effort was stopped by Tejas, who made a timely block.

The second goal put Kerala out of the game because they couldn’t come up with any good attacks to trouble the Odisha defence. Akshunna Tyagi and Diego Mauricio played a great one-two that made the Blasters worry about a third goal, but Sachin Suresh played well to block the goal.

On August 29, Odisha FC will play against Sudeva Delhi FC, and on August 31, Kerala Blasters will play against Army Green Football Team.

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Kajal S

Kajal S

kajal

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