Sadiku rescues a point against Odisha FC amidst injury woes | Mohun Bagan vs Odisha FC | Match Review ||

bySayan Ghosh -

Mohun Bagan came from behind to overturn a 2-0 deficit to settle for a 2-2 draw against Odisha FC at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24.


Courtesy : MBSG Media

Mohun Bagan started the match with already a foot in the mud as a last minute injury ruled out the creator in chief for Mohun Bagan , ‘Hugo Boumous’ out of the match . Jason Cummings replaced the injured Frenchman in the process as , Juan twisted his 3-5-2 formation to a modern 4-2-4 with Liston and Kiyan moving to left and right wing respectively and Sadiku leading the forward line and Cummings with the role of a Second Striker. With Petratos, Anwar and Manvir already out, Players were instructed to play with more safety but it resulted in nothing as midfield magicians Thapa and Sahal got injured and had to be subbed off during Half Time.



With the hope of continuing their perfect start to the league , Bagan started the match with the backing of almost 23,000 supporters at home. Sahal and Cummings, who were handed the creator's role in absence of Boumous started the match well by starting of several moves, but Odisha and their tactician Sergio Lobera had planned out how to cancel out every mariners move and all that was even successful because of only one man ‘Ahmed Jahouh’ who even scored twice in the first half to take lead over the Mariners. Odisha and their wingers mainly focused on taking the Bagan centre-backs to the sideline and deliver ball to the strong and fast Diego Mauricio for scoring goals and they were pretty much successful in doing so, when a cross met Mariner's captain Subhasish's hand and resulted in a Penalty for Odisha. Which Ahmed Jahouh successfully converted and Odisha were leading 1-0 at the 31st minute. In the additional minutes of the first half , Jahouh made a reckless challenge from behind on Sahal, which to everyone's surprise was not awarded a foul to Bagan and a caution was not shown to Jahouh . After Jahouh made that tackle on Sahal, the trailing ball reaches Diego on the left flank , meanwhile Jahouh had continued his run at the top of the box. Diego crossed it for Jahouh to make the scoreline 2-0. The under-performing first half saw Bagan going down to a 2-0, key players Sahal and Thapa being sidelined for indefinite period of time and referee Crystal John giving ample decisions in favor of Odisha FC.



Second half started as Terina Hnamte and Glan Martins entered the fray in places of Thapa and Sahal respectively. Bagan were piling on the pressure on Odisha midfield but can't capitalize on it all thanks to the man ‘Ahmed Jahouh’. In the 57th minute , Jahouh injured his groin while receiving a high ball & had to be substituted and that was the point where the match turned in Bagan's favour. No sooner had Jahouh gone out than the Mariners responded through a Armando Sadiku goal assisted by Kiyan Nassiri from the right flank .



Later Kiyan and Glan were substituted by Suhail and Deepak Tangri. Few minutes later a outrageous Vishal kaith save prevented Odisha from further extending their lead. The mariners kept on piling on the pressure as Hector Yuste moved upfront to help out the forwards and it bore fruit as Liston launched a ball forward in the second half stoppage time which was headed down by Hector for Sadiku to nutmeg onrushing Amrinder for the equalizer. 



The proverb ‘Mohun Bagan are not beaten until the final whistle’ was proved once again. Sadiku gave all his passion and commitment in today's match and managed to earn his haters' respect with his two very important goals. Juan was handed a red card at the end of the match which will prevent him from sitting in the next match.



Mohun Bagan showed great character and spirit to fight back against a good side, but a draw at home is not acceptable, the team needs to show more urgency and fierceness . This match also gave injuries to key players for both Mohun Bagan and India. With a 9 day gap before next ISL match, the team is expected to do well as they will soon be running into a thick run of fixtures with the top teams of the league. Any slip would cause trouble for the ISL Shield dreams as continental dreams are already over. Mohun Bagan will next play Maziya Sports & Recreation away on 11th of this month.

 

MBFT Player Ratings :-


Vishal Kaith - 7/10

Was in top shape today. Pulled out a top drawer save from a Pranjal Bhumij shot to deny visitors extending their lead further. Could not have done much for the 2 goals conceded.


Brendan Hamill – 6/10

Was good today but still committed some silly mistakes which can to be rectified.


Hector Yuste – 7/10

Was in top form today, made every challenges to perfection, got the pre assist for our first goal & assist for Sadiku's equalizer. Apart from that, he won 7 duals and did 5 clearances. 


Subhashis Bose – 6.5/10

Was good, but no too much effective, moved forward well though. Won 8 duels, with 4/4 aerial duels.


Ashish Rai – 5/10

After a great display against Hyderabad, had a really poor outing today, need to keep much consistency.


Anirudh Thapa – 5/10

Got injured seriously in the elbow & had to be subbed off at Half Time, but was not much effective in his stay on the pitch.


Sahal Abdul Samad – 6/10

Was in lead today for creating chances in absence of Boumous, did a pretty solid job but sustained a nasty injury and eventually had to be subbed off just before the Half Time.


Jason Cummings – 5.5/10

Came into the starting 11 at the very last minute, was not much effective today but made some good runs from behind into the box.


Liston Colaco – 7/10

His rich vein of form continues, but still need to do some work on decision making, it was his long ball to Yuste that resulted in the equalizer.


Kiyan Nassiri – 7.5/10

Another great game from Our Boy. He was brilliant again, got the assist for the first goal. Troubled everyone with his pace. Won 10 duels and served 3 Key Passes today.


Armando Sadiku – 8/10

Had the best match in mariner's shirt, still wasted 2 big chances. Though he showed commitment and passion till the last minute, this 2 goals might reveal the real ARMANDO SADIKU to the league. 

To all the opponents , Be Ready, Lion has tasted blood, now he will not stop.

 

Substitutes :-


Glan Martins :- 5/10

Subbed On just before the half time for Sahal and had to be subbed off at 71' min for Deepak Tangri due to a injury. He created a Big Chance but eventually Sadiku missed it and apart from that his poor performance continues.


Suhail Ahmad Bhatt – 6/10

Made some mazy runs and troubled defenders with his pace


Terina Hnamte – 6.5/10

Maintained composure after coming in pace of Thapa, if he can maintain today's performance, he is a future star for sure. 


Deepak Tangri – 6/10

Despite coming back from ACL injury, he connected well with the team. He was covering spaces in the backling and helping other to force more up top. Hoping best from him in coming matches. 


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