A second-half brace from Roy Krishna helped Odisha FC secure a comeback 2-1 win over Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar early today.
Dimitrios Diamantakos, the league’s leading goal-scorer, bagged his 10th strike of the season by tapping in a cross by Nihal Sudeesh in the 10th minute to give the Blasters a 1-0 lead which stayed intact till halftime.
The second half belonged to the Fijian captain, who at 36 continues to be one of the most efficient strikers in the competition.
In the 53rd minute, Moroccan midfielder Ahmed Jahouh delivered a curling, accurate cross to Krishna and he outmanoeuvred the Kerala Blasters FC defence to put the ball past the goalkeeper.
The Kalinga Warriors had found the breakthrough and began pushing forward, as the opposition’s defence had become slightly disoriented by then.
Fullback Amey Ranawade sensed a similar opportunity, sprinting up ahead on the right flank, before sliding in a well-directed pass for Krishna.
He jumped and nodded the ball in, effectively eliminating the early advantage that Kerala Blasters FC had garnered and thus ensuring that his team didn’t take long to recover from their loss in the Kalinga Super Cup summit clash.
The win has helped Odisha displace the Blasters from the second place. Odisha now have 27 points, same as leaders FC Goa, but have played two matches more.
