Mohun Bagan Super Giant: Mohun Bagan Super Giant put on a dominant performance against a ten-man Odisha FC, beating the Juggernauts 4-0 in the opening clash of the AFC Cup 2023-24 group stage at Kalinga Stadium, here on Tuesday.Two goals from Australian forward Dimitri Petratos and one each from Sahal Abdul Samad and Liston Colaco helped the Mariners secure a resounding victory to kick off their AFC Cup group stage campaign.
Both Spanish head coaches fielded their best possible lineups, with Odisha FC starting all six of their foreign players in the XI, while the Mariners began with five foreigners, with Jason Cummings coming off the bench in the second-half.
The match started slowly, with both teams sizing each other up, but the Mariners gradually found their rhythm as the game progressed. Hugo Boumous had a great opportunity in the 34th minute when Sahal Abdul Samad set him up, but his volleyed effort hit the side net. Minutes later, Odisha FC also had their first real chance as Jerry Mawihmingthanga connected with a cross, but his header narrowly cleared the bar. However, the highlight of the first half came moments before half-time when Odisha FC defender Mourtada Fall was shown a red card after receiving his second yellow card.
In the second half, the Mariners went all out against the ten-man Odisha FC side, and it didn’t take them long to break the deadlock. Samad opened the scoring for the Kolkata-based club with a brilliant curled effort from the edge of the box in the 46th minute. Despite introducing new faces, Lobera’s side couldn’t match the numerical advantage that Mohun Bagan Super Giant enjoyed.
In the 64th minute, Petratos capitalised on a mistake from Odisha FC and broke through on goal, but his effort was cleared off the line by Ahmed Jahouh after goalkeeper Amrinder Singh got a hand to it. However, moments later, the Juggernauts’ custodian failed to collect a ball, and Petratos, who was rushing in, made no mistake in slotting it into the open net. Liston Colaco and Dimitri Petratos scored two goals in quick succession, further adding to the misery for the Odisha FC side.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will next host Maziya S&RC on October 2, while Odisha FC will travel to Bangladesh to take on Basundhara Kings on the same date.
