ISL: Odisha FC ease past bottom spooners Hyderabad FC

In a remarkable face-off at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Odisha FC emerged victorious against Hyderabad FC with a convincing scoreline of 3-0 in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Monday. Goals from Diego Mauricio (27’ & 75’) and Roy Krishna (45+1’) secured the victory for Odisha FC, propelling them to the top of the points table with a total of 30 points from 14 matches. Remarkably, they remain unbeaten for the tenth (10th) consecutive match in this ISL season.

In the 3rd minute, Puitea executed a precise lob to the right of the box, creating space for Roy Krishna. However, goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh quickly came off his line to clear the ball. The 6th minute witnessed Cy delivering an inch-perfect corner, leading to a great run by Thoiba, whose header narrowly missed the target.

In the 22nd minute, Cy unleashed a shot on target, parried away by Gurmeet, but the ball rebounded to Cy's feet. He skillfully cut back the ball for Isak, whose attempt, unfortunately, went straight to Gurmeet.

The turning point came in the 27th minute when Odisha FC seized the lead. Diego Maurício executed a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, finding the bottom right corner of the net. HFC 0-1 OFC.

The Kalinga Warriors extended their lead in the 45+1 minute through a well-crafted move by Isak and Diego inside the box, culminating in Roy Krishna slotting the ball into the back of the net. This marked his 10th goal of the season, and the score stood at HFC 0-2 OFC.

In the 57th minute, Isak Ralte's half-hearted shot from a counter-attack initiated by him failed to trouble Gurmeet.

The 70th minute saw Thoiba transitioning to the right-back position, with Delgado coming on as the center-back for the Kalinga Warriors. Despite back-to-back counter-attacks by Hyderabad FC in the 74th minute, they failed to exhibit quality in the final third.

Diego Mauricio continued his stellar performance in the 75th minute, scoring his second goal for the visitors after a perfect layoff by Princeton. The net bulged as Diego Mauricio unleashed a thunderous strike, making the score HFC 0-3 OFC.

In the 88th minute, Princeton's brilliant free-kick across the face of the goal found Thoiba, who leaped high but couldn't make contact. In the 90+2nd minute featured an impressive run by Aaron from the home team, displaying speed and skill to enter the box. However, despite his efforts, he couldn't find the finishing touch.

Following this commanding win, Odisha FC will return home with three valuable points and face FC Goa on February 9, 2024, at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.