ISL 2022-23: Clinical Bengaluru FC beat Odisha FC to spice up playoffs battle

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC notched up a comfortable 3-1 win over Odisha FC to spice up the playoffs battle in the Indian Super League here on Saturday.

Rohit Kumar broke the deadlock before Roy Krishna ended his 10-game goalless streak to double the Blues’ advantage.

Diego Mauricio pulled one back in the opening stages of the second half, but the home side managed to close Odisha FC’s pursuit for the major part of the game before Pablo Perez scored his first goal for the Blues in stoppage time to wrap up all three points.

This was the first time this season that Bengaluru FC scored more than two goals in a game. It was also their first back-to-back win of the season.

The result splits open the playoffs race, with Odisha once again vulnerable to being overtaken by FC Goa to fifth place, while Bengaluru have cut their distance to the final playoff spot to three points, level with Chennaiyin FC who are in seventh place.

Twenty-five minutes into the game, Javi Hernandez’s cross from the right flank was cut back across the face of the goal by Alan Costa, straight into the path of Rohit Kumar, who planted the ball into the back of the net.

Just three minutes later, Sivasakthi Narayanan galloped down the left flank and played a perfect through ball for Roy Krishna. The Fijian took a touch before calmly slotting the ball past Amrinder Singh to end his ten-game goal drought.

In the second half, Mauricio was brought down by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu after skipping past Parag Shrivas.

The striker stepped up to take the penalty and sent Sandhu the wrong way from the spot to pull one back for his team. It was the striker’s fifth goal in three games for his club.

In the 92nd minute, the game was put to bed after substitutes Udanta Singh and Pablo Perez combined to score on the counterattack as Odisha FC pushed hard in Bengaluru FC’s third.

The Blues will travel to Jamshedpur for their next game on January 18, while the Juggernauts will be in action against ATK Mohun Bagan on 28 January.

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