The final clash of the Indian Super League’s tenth matchday was an important battle at the bottom of the table, as 10th-placed Kerala Blasters took on Odisha FC, who were a spot below them. The home side were looking to bounce back from that poor defeat to Mumbai City, while Stuart Baxter’s men were still searching for their first win of the season.
An important battle was set to ensue, and here’s what we made of it:
Report
Kerala had a chance to respond immediately when Vicente Gómez had a free header at the far post when he was picked out by Facundo Pereyra’s cross, but he missed wide. Soon thereafter, Rahul KP burst into the box and pulled the trigger, but his deflected effort was well-saved by Arshdeep Singh.
Diego Maurício came close to taking the lead for his side in the 34th minute when he hit a first-time half-volley from close-range towards the near post, but it was well kept out by the strong hand of Albino Gomes.
Odisha FC took the lead in the 42nd minute when Steven Taylor crept in unmarked at the far post and rolled Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s free-kick past the keeper.
A couple of minutes later, Albino Gomes palmed Jacob Tratt’s cross away, but it only broke for Daniel Lalhlimpuia, who dragged his effort just wide of the bottom corner.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Diego Maurício slipped the ball across to Jerry Mawihmingthanga on the right of the box, and the Indian forward only had the keeper to beat, but he missed high.
Three minutes later, though, Jerry brilliantly slipped Maurício through on goal, and the Brazilian forward poked his finish past Albino Gomes to make it 3-1.
Just before the hour-mark, Diego Maurício scored again as he cut inside from the left, beat two defenders and picked out the bottom corner from outside the box.
Facundo Pereyra came close to pulling one back in the 63rd minute when he smashed a shot from distance, but Arshdeep Singh kept it out with a strong save. Two minutes later at the other end, a well-worked corner by Odisha FC saw Maurício flick the ball on with a header, but Albino Gomes somehow managed to tip it onto the crossbar.
Gary Hooper pulled one back for the Blasters in the 79th minute when Jordan Murray found him inside the box with a low cross, and his deflected effort rolled into the bottom corner.
In the last minute of normal time, Rohit Kumar had a free header at the back post after a corner as the keeper missed the ball altogether when he came out to punch it, but he only rattled the woodwork.
That goal meant little in the end, though, as Odisha FC came away with a huge 4-2 win.
KERALA BLASTERS
Key Talking Point
A Sack-Worthy Performance
The departure of Carles Cuadrat meant that some other underperforming managers also came under yet more pressure, and Kibu Vicuña was certainly one of them.
The Spanish tactician picked an all-Indian defence for the second time this season, having kept a clean sheet with them against Hyderabad FC. Things started off well for his side as they took the lead within seven minutes, and for the next quarter of an hour, they preserved that advantage too. Things started to unravel thereafter, and it was all kicked off by some poor defending which led to an unfortunate own goal.
There was no element of luck involved when Odisha took the lead from a set-piece when the Kerala defence was caught napping as Steven Taylor ghosted in unmarked at the far post, and worse yet, this was just before half-time. Things didn’t get much better on the other side of the break either when even more shocking defending allowed Odisha FC to make it four.
Kerala Blasters 1. Porous defence 2. Individual mistakes 3. Marking from set-pieces terrible 4. Reacts a bit late to adversity
While the coach will cop a lot of blame, the players really have to concentrate and deliver. Take individual accountability on field. #ISL#KBFCOFC
Odisha FC had failed to win any of their first eight matches this season – the worst-ever start for any ISL side – yet Stuart Baxter kept his faith in a near-unchanged lineup.
One of the crucial changes he made tonight, though, was switching to a 4-4-2. The idea was to play Manuel Onwu up top alongside Diego Maurício, but that plan went out of the window just a few minutes before kickoff as the former picked up an injury in the warmup. Things went from bad to worse seven minutes into the match, when the away side conceded following some poor defending.
Things massively changed after that, as a bit of luck saw the Kalinga Warriors equalise through an own goal. Then, some more gifts from their opponents allowed them to take the lead through Steven Taylor before half-time, meaning that they took a lead into the second half for the first time this season. Stuart Baxter’s side built on it too, going 4-1 up before an hour’s worth of football was played.
First win of the season for @OdishaFC & what a way to do it 🔥 #KBFCOFC
Despite conceding once again, Odisha FC cruised home thereafter, finally getting their first win of the season.
Player Ratings
Arshdeep Singh (6), Jacob Tratt (7.5), Steven Taylor (8), Gaurav Bora (6.5), Hendry Antonay (8), Jerry Mawihmingthanga (7.5), Vinit Rai (6.5), Cole Alexander (7.5), Nanda Kumar (6), Diego Maurício (9*), Daniel Lalhlimpuia (6)
Subs: Marcelinho (N/A), Sajid Dhot (N/A), Paul Ramfangzauva (N/A)
Diego Maurício
After lighting the league up with an absolutely brilliant brace against Jamshedpur FC on matchday 2, Diego Maurício’s season started to cool down.
He returned with the heat tonight, though, as he blew away the Kerala Blasters defence. The Brazilian forward played a crucial part in his side’s first goal as his cross was deflected in for an own goal, but after that, he did it all by himself. He chased and finished a through ball early on in the second half to make it 3-1, before adding to his tally with a great solo effort.
Diego Mauricio is playing like a 12th std bully against random 5th std boys at lunch break.
Leave the kids alone, Diego! They just want to play.
The 29-year-old striker bagged his brace from 4/6 shots on target, hit the crossbar once, got 54 touches, created 2 chances, won 4/5 duels and completed 81% of his passes in an outstanding display.
What a man, what a performance, and what a win for Odisha.
What This Means:
Kerala Blasters stay in 10th, while Odisha FC also remain at the bottom of the table, but they have closed the gap between themselves and their opponents down to just one point. Diego Maurício’s second brace of the season and Steven Taylor’s second goal of the season secured the points for Stuart Baxter’s side, while Gary Hooper’s first open play goal of the season counted for nothing.
Kerala Blasters face Jamshedpur FC next on Sunday, and Odisha FC take on Chennaiyin FC earlier that day.Stats courtesy Sofascore.com
Odisha FC equalised in the 23rd minute, though as some defensive lapses allowed Diego Maurício to advance to the right byline, and his cross was deflected behind Albino Gomes and into his own net by Jeakson Thounaojam.
Kerala had a chance to respond immediately when Vicente Gómez had a free header at the far post when he was picked out by Facundo Pereyra’s cross, but he missed wide. Soon thereafter, Rahul KP burst into the box and pulled the trigger, but his deflected effort was well-saved by Arshdeep Singh.
Diego Maurício came close to taking the lead for his side in the 34th minute when he hit a first-time half-volley from close-range towards the near post, but it was well kept out by the strong hand of Albino Gomes.
Odisha FC took the lead in the 42nd minute when Steven Taylor crept in unmarked at the far post and rolled Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s free-kick past the keeper.
A couple of minutes later, Albino Gomes palmed Jacob Tratt’s cross away, but it only broke for Daniel Lalhlimpuia, who dragged his effort just wide of the bottom corner.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Diego Maurício slipped the ball across to Jerry Mawihmingthanga on the right of the box, and the Indian forward only had the keeper to beat, but he missed high.
Three minutes later, though, Jerry brilliantly slipped Maurício through on goal, and the Brazilian forward poked his finish past Albino Gomes to make it 3-1.
Just before the hour-mark, Diego Maurício scored again as he cut inside from the left, beat two defenders and picked out the bottom corner from outside the box.
Facundo Pereyra came close to pulling one back in the 63rd minute when he smashed a shot from distance, but Arshdeep Singh kept it out with a strong save. Two minutes later at the other end, a well-worked corner by Odisha FC saw Maurício flick the ball on with a header, but Albino Gomes somehow managed to tip it onto the crossbar.
Gary Hooper pulled one back for the Blasters in the 79th minute when Jordan Murray found him inside the box with a low cross, and his deflected effort rolled into the bottom corner.
In the last minute of normal time, Rohit Kumar had a free header at the back post after a corner as the keeper missed the ball altogether when he came out to punch it, but he only rattled the woodwork.
That goal meant little in the end, though, as Odisha FC came away with a huge 4-2 win.
KERALA BLASTERS
Key Talking Point
A Sack-Worthy Performance
The departure of Carles Cuadrat meant that some other underperforming managers also came under yet more pressure, and Kibu Vicuña was certainly one of them.
The Spanish tactician picked an all-Indian defence for the second time this season, having kept a clean sheet with them against Hyderabad FC. Things started off well for his side as they took the lead within seven minutes, and for the next quarter of an hour, they preserved that advantage too. Things started to unravel thereafter, and it was all kicked off by some poor defending which led to an unfortunate own goal.
There was no element of luck involved when Odisha took the lead from a set-piece when the Kerala defence was caught napping as Steven Taylor ghosted in unmarked at the far post, and worse yet, this was just before half-time. Things didn’t get much better on the other side of the break either when even more shocking defending allowed Odisha FC to make it four.
Kerala Blasters 1. Porous defence 2. Individual mistakes 3. Marking from set-pieces terrible 4. Reacts a bit late to adversity
While the coach will cop a lot of blame, the players really have to concentrate and deliver. Take individual accountability on field. #ISL#KBFCOFC
Odisha FC had failed to win any of their first eight matches this season – the worst-ever start for any ISL side – yet Stuart Baxter kept his faith in a near-unchanged lineup.
One of the crucial changes he made tonight, though, was switching to a 4-4-2. The idea was to play Manuel Onwu up top alongside Diego Maurício, but that plan went out of the window just a few minutes before kickoff as the former picked up an injury in the warmup. Things went from bad to worse seven minutes into the match, when the away side conceded following some poor defending.
Things massively changed after that, as a bit of luck saw the Kalinga Warriors equalise through an own goal. Then, some more gifts from their opponents allowed them to take the lead through Steven Taylor before half-time, meaning that they took a lead into the second half for the first time this season. Stuart Baxter’s side built on it too, going 4-1 up before an hour’s worth of football was played.
First win of the season for @OdishaFC & what a way to do it 🔥 #KBFCOFC
Despite conceding once again, Odisha FC cruised home thereafter, finally getting their first win of the season.
Player Ratings
Arshdeep Singh (6), Jacob Tratt (7.5), Steven Taylor (8), Gaurav Bora (6.5), Hendry Antonay (8), Jerry Mawihmingthanga (7.5), Vinit Rai (6.5), Cole Alexander (7.5), Nanda Kumar (6), Diego Maurício (9*), Daniel Lalhlimpuia (6)
Subs: Marcelinho (N/A), Sajid Dhot (N/A), Paul Ramfangzauva (N/A)
Diego Maurício
After lighting the league up with an absolutely brilliant brace against Jamshedpur FC on matchday 2, Diego Maurício’s season started to cool down.
He returned with the heat tonight, though, as he blew away the Kerala Blasters defence. The Brazilian forward played a crucial part in his side’s first goal as his cross was deflected in for an own goal, but after that, he did it all by himself. He chased and finished a through ball early on in the second half to make it 3-1, before adding to his tally with a great solo effort.
Diego Mauricio is playing like a 12th std bully against random 5th std boys at lunch break.
Leave the kids alone, Diego! They just want to play.
The 29-year-old striker bagged his brace from 4/6 shots on target, hit the crossbar once, got 54 touches, created 2 chances, won 4/5 duels and completed 81% of his passes in an outstanding display.
What a man, what a performance, and what a win for Odisha.
What This Means:
Kerala Blasters stay in 10th, while Odisha FC also remain at the bottom of the table, but they have closed the gap between themselves and their opponents down to just one point. Diego Maurício’s second brace of the season and Steven Taylor’s second goal of the season secured the points for Stuart Baxter’s side, while Gary Hooper’s first open play goal of the season counted for nothing.
Kerala Blasters face Jamshedpur FC next on Sunday, and Odisha FC take on Chennaiyin FC earlier that day.Stats courtesy Sofascore.com
In less than seven minutes, Kerala Blasters took the lead through Jordan Murray. A long free-kick was aimed up towards Rahul KP at the back post, whose slow head across goal was easily palmed away by Arshdeep Singh. However, it only fell to Murray, who squeezed it home from an acute angle.
Odisha FC equalised in the 23rd minute, though as some defensive lapses allowed Diego Maurício to advance to the right byline, and his cross was deflected behind Albino Gomes and into his own net by Jeakson Thounaojam.
Kerala had a chance to respond immediately when Vicente Gómez had a free header at the far post when he was picked out by Facundo Pereyra’s cross, but he missed wide. Soon thereafter, Rahul KP burst into the box and pulled the trigger, but his deflected effort was well-saved by Arshdeep Singh.
Diego Maurício came close to taking the lead for his side in the 34th minute when he hit a first-time half-volley from close-range towards the near post, but it was well kept out by the strong hand of Albino Gomes.
Odisha FC took the lead in the 42nd minute when Steven Taylor crept in unmarked at the far post and rolled Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s free-kick past the keeper.
A couple of minutes later, Albino Gomes palmed Jacob Tratt’s cross away, but it only broke for Daniel Lalhlimpuia, who dragged his effort just wide of the bottom corner.
Less than two minutes into the second half, Diego Maurício slipped the ball across to Jerry Mawihmingthanga on the right of the box, and the Indian forward only had the keeper to beat, but he missed high.
Three minutes later, though, Jerry brilliantly slipped Maurício through on goal, and the Brazilian forward poked his finish past Albino Gomes to make it 3-1.
Just before the hour-mark, Diego Maurício scored again as he cut inside from the left, beat two defenders and picked out the bottom corner from outside the box.
Facundo Pereyra came close to pulling one back in the 63rd minute when he smashed a shot from distance, but Arshdeep Singh kept it out with a strong save. Two minutes later at the other end, a well-worked corner by Odisha FC saw Maurício flick the ball on with a header, but Albino Gomes somehow managed to tip it onto the crossbar.
Gary Hooper pulled one back for the Blasters in the 79th minute when Jordan Murray found him inside the box with a low cross, and his deflected effort rolled into the bottom corner.
In the last minute of normal time, Rohit Kumar had a free header at the back post after a corner as the keeper missed the ball altogether when he came out to punch it, but he only rattled the woodwork.
That goal meant little in the end, though, as Odisha FC came away with a huge 4-2 win.
KERALA BLASTERS
Key Talking Point
A Sack-Worthy Performance
The departure of Carles Cuadrat meant that some other underperforming managers also came under yet more pressure, and Kibu Vicuña was certainly one of them.
The Spanish tactician picked an all-Indian defence for the second time this season, having kept a clean sheet with them against Hyderabad FC. Things started off well for his side as they took the lead within seven minutes, and for the next quarter of an hour, they preserved that advantage too. Things started to unravel thereafter, and it was all kicked off by some poor defending which led to an unfortunate own goal.
There was no element of luck involved when Odisha took the lead from a set-piece when the Kerala defence was caught napping as Steven Taylor ghosted in unmarked at the far post, and worse yet, this was just before half-time. Things didn’t get much better on the other side of the break either when even more shocking defending allowed Odisha FC to make it four.
Kerala Blasters 1. Porous defence 2. Individual mistakes 3. Marking from set-pieces terrible 4. Reacts a bit late to adversity
While the coach will cop a lot of blame, the players really have to concentrate and deliver. Take individual accountability on field. #ISL#KBFCOFC
Odisha FC had failed to win any of their first eight matches this season – the worst-ever start for any ISL side – yet Stuart Baxter kept his faith in a near-unchanged lineup.
One of the crucial changes he made tonight, though, was switching to a 4-4-2. The idea was to play Manuel Onwu up top alongside Diego Maurício, but that plan went out of the window just a few minutes before kickoff as the former picked up an injury in the warmup. Things went from bad to worse seven minutes into the match, when the away side conceded following some poor defending.
Things massively changed after that, as a bit of luck saw the Kalinga Warriors equalise through an own goal. Then, some more gifts from their opponents allowed them to take the lead through Steven Taylor before half-time, meaning that they took a lead into the second half for the first time this season. Stuart Baxter’s side built on it too, going 4-1 up before an hour’s worth of football was played.
First win of the season for @OdishaFC & what a way to do it 🔥 #KBFCOFC
Despite conceding once again, Odisha FC cruised home thereafter, finally getting their first win of the season.
Player Ratings
Arshdeep Singh (6), Jacob Tratt (7.5), Steven Taylor (8), Gaurav Bora (6.5), Hendry Antonay (8), Jerry Mawihmingthanga (7.5), Vinit Rai (6.5), Cole Alexander (7.5), Nanda Kumar (6), Diego Maurício (9*), Daniel Lalhlimpuia (6)
Subs: Marcelinho (N/A), Sajid Dhot (N/A), Paul Ramfangzauva (N/A)
Diego Maurício
After lighting the league up with an absolutely brilliant brace against Jamshedpur FC on matchday 2, Diego Maurício’s season started to cool down.
He returned with the heat tonight, though, as he blew away the Kerala Blasters defence. The Brazilian forward played a crucial part in his side’s first goal as his cross was deflected in for an own goal, but after that, he did it all by himself. He chased and finished a through ball early on in the second half to make it 3-1, before adding to his tally with a great solo effort.
Diego Mauricio is playing like a 12th std bully against random 5th std boys at lunch break.
Leave the kids alone, Diego! They just want to play.
The 29-year-old striker bagged his brace from 4/6 shots on target, hit the crossbar once, got 54 touches, created 2 chances, won 4/5 duels and completed 81% of his passes in an outstanding display.
What a man, what a performance, and what a win for Odisha.
What This Means:
Kerala Blasters stay in 10th, while Odisha FC also remain at the bottom of the table, but they have closed the gap between themselves and their opponents down to just one point. Diego Maurício’s second brace of the season and Steven Taylor’s second goal of the season secured the points for Stuart Baxter’s side, while Gary Hooper’s first open play goal of the season counted for nothing.
Kerala Blasters face Jamshedpur FC next on Sunday, and Odisha FC take on Chennaiyin FC earlier that day.Stats courtesy Sofascore.com
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