Bambolim: Bengaluru FC (BFC) came from behind to defeat Odisha FC (OFC) 2-1 in their ISL match here Monday. The victory will keep BFC in contention for a place in the semifinals. BFC rose to fifth place with 26 points, one behind fourth-placed Kerala Blasters FC. On the other hand, a third winless outing meant OFC’s ambitions suffered a huge blow.
Nandhakumar Sekar (eighth) pounced on a loose ball to score early in the game for OFC but Danish Farooq’s (31st) header levelled the score. However, Cleiton Silva (49th) scored from the penalty spot in the second half, which eventually separated the two teams.
Both teams began on a strong note, creating decent scoring opportunities. Bruno Ramires came close to scoring inside five minutes but his long-ranger swerved narrowly past the target.
Odisha FC took the lead after Jonathas found space behind the BFC backline but saw his shot saved by Sharma. Unfortunately for the Blues, the rebound fell to Nandhakumar Sekar who sent his team into an early lead.
However, BFC kept on the pressure and equalised when Farooq headed in a Roshan Naorem corner at the half-hour mark. Kamaljit Singh misjudged the flight of the ball that gave the midfielder a free-header on the far post, leading to the goal.
The second half started on a poor note for the Kalinga Warriors, as they gave away a penalty inside the first few minutes of the restart after Udanta Singh was tripped inside the box. Silva took the spot-kick and expertly sent the goalkeeper in the wrong direction to hand the lead to BFC.
OFC’s quest for a second saw them make a few attacking substitutions, one of them being Aridai Cabrera. The forward fed Isaac Vanmalsawma whose shot was parried onto the right goalpost by Sharma in goal.
