ISL 2021-22: Odisha FC look to counter SC East Bengal's fighting spirit to close top-four gap

Vasco: A comeback that should revitalise the dropping shoulders, SC East Bengal would look to continue their fight and bag a win when they take on Odisha FC in their Indian Super League match here on Monday. The red and golds conceded two early goals against Chennaiyin FC in their last engagement, but showed grit to come back for a draw. The 18-year old Lalrinliana Hnamte scored the equaliser after a superb free-kick from Darren Sidoel had brought them back in the game. The result helped them move to 10th spot in the table with 10 points from 15 games. More importantly, it was a gritty performance especially in the second half where the team showed spirit of the highest order, something that was missing in the previous games. “In the dugout at half-time in the Chennaiyan FC match, I asked the players to be braver. I asked them to play freely and they delivered,” said head coach Mario Rivera who has one win and a draw apart from the two losses in his four matches in charge. “The performance against Chennaiyan FC in the second half was one of our best. It will be right up the list along with the first half of the 2nd leg of Kolkata Derby,” he added. Dutch midfielder Sidoel has looked good for SC East Bengal, scoring three goals in nine matches this season, including two goals in his last two appearances. Besides, the defensive midfielder played as part of a back three in the last game and controlled the defence for the Kolkata side underlining his versatility across the pitch. Rivera dropped a back three with two wing-backs after leaking two goals in the first half and it remains to be seen whether the Spaniard goes with the same strategy in the Odisha game as well. For Odisha, they have not won a game in the last three matches and coach Kino Garcia will hope they get back to winning ways to keep their semifinal hopes alive. Odisha are seated eighth at the table with 18 points from 14 outings. “There are still a lot of points to play for and we certainly have our chances. We are only focused on winning the match tomorrow,” Garcia said ahead of the clash. “SC East Bengal has improved a lot after changing their manager. They are more solid and compact,” he added. The last two fixtures between these two teams are the two highest-scoring fixtures in ISL history. Odisha FC’s 6-5 win over SC East Bengal in the closing stages of 2020-21 is the highest-scoring match in the tournament history. The 10-goal game in the reverse fixture earlier this season where Odisha FC won 6-4 is the second-highest scoring match in ISL. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.