Odisha slams Aizawl but stays behind Hyderabad as they play out a 6-goal draw against East Bengal in Super Cup 2023 Group B
On Matchday 6, we witnessed Group B matches between Odisha and Aizawl & Hyderabad, and East Bengal in the Indian Super Cup 2023.
The Kalinga Warriors started their Super Cup campaign against East Bengal, which ended in a draw while Hyderabad recorded a win in the inaugural match against the I-League side. Matchday 6 of the competition was awaiting many more surprises and the fans were treated to nine goals.
Odisha 3 – 0 Aizawl
Odisha recorded their first win in the Indian Super Cup as they squared off against Aizawl. After the final whistle, the scoreboard said 3-0 in favor of Odisha. Diego Mauricio, Nandhakumar Sekar, and Victor Rodriguez recorded their names on the scoresheet with the skipper failing to score a penalty at the end of the match.
Ivan Veras, Eisuke Mohri, and Akito Saiko were drawn into the playing XI by Caetano Pinho while Maurício and Victor Rodriguez were the only overseas players chosen by Clifford Miranda for the playing XI.
In the starting minutes of the match, both sides looked really strong defensively. Following that, the first chance on the goal was taken by the Odisha skipper himself in the 11th minute. Mauricio tried putting the ball into the net, however, his shot got reflected by a defender and ended up safely into the goalkeeper’s hands.
In the 28th minute, Aizawl was awarded a corner, and that was their best chance of scoring a goal in the match. Unfortunately, the corner kick missed the target as Hruaitea failed to get a touch.
Before the half-time whistle, in the 42nd and 44th minutes, Odisha strung together a couple of decent attacks. However, the young shot-stopper played a major role in keeping the sides level in the first half.
Without many questions, Vanlal Hriatpuia was surely Aizawl’s best player of the match. Save after save, the youngster was proving on the football ground that he will surely be a star in Indian football in the coming years.
Aizawl started the second half in an attacking fashion but had to pay a huge penalty for the aggression as they lost possession and ended up conceding a corner. In the 47th minute, Mauricio broke the deadlock as Odisha capitalised on the opportunity and put the ball into the net.
Following the first goal, Odisha was trying their best to keep the position and hold the play. Hence, the constant pressure paid off in the 55th minute when Victor Rodrigues slammed the ball into the bottom left corner.
A piece of heartbreaking news came for the Juggernauts’ fans as their winger, Isak Ralte suffered an Injury with almost 10 minutes remaining in the match.
Odisha’s substitute player, Nandha Kumar Sekar made the score 3-0 in added time as Mauricio’s strike was denied by the keeper but the rebound fell to the winger who tapped it in the back of the net.
When it looked like the match would end at 3-0, Odisha was awarded a penalty but Maurício’s attempt was well saved by Hriatpuia which could prove decisive if Odisha and Hyderabad play out a draw on Monday.
Hyderabad 3 – 3 East Bengal
Naorem Mahesh Singh scored twice in the first half for East Bengal
Hyderabad and East Bengal played out an eye-catching match as Naorem Mahesh Singh scored a brace for East Bengal with a bullet strike from VP Suhair making it three goals for the Reds and the Golds. For Hyderabad, Javier Siverio scored two goals and the comeback for the 2021-22 ISL champions was completed by Abdul Rabeeh’s goal.
Joel Chianese, Javier Siverio, Joao Victor, and Odei Onaindia were the overseas players chosen by Manolo Marquez to start the match. On the other side, Stephen Constantine chose Cleiton Silva, Alex Lima, and Jake Jervis as the overseas players in the starting XI.
In the 4th minute, Naorem Mahesh Singh broke the deadlock awarding East Bengal an early lead after bamboozling the Hyderabad backline.
Following a lot of intense action from one side to another, Javier Siverio didn’t waste any further time in scoring the equaliser. A great ball from Halicharan Narzary with a measured shot from Siverio made the score level in the 11th minute.
However, the goal fest was far from stopping at Manjeri Payyanad Stadium. In the 17th minute, Jake Jervis’ attempt to give East Bengal the lead failed but local boy VP Suhair was available in front of the goal to bash the ball into the net on a rebound leaving Gurmeet helpless.
Following the high-flowing action, Siverio tried firing a volley into the net in the 22nd minute but failed to get his side level. However, when the Nizams were pushing for an equaliser, Naorem Mahesh completed his brace with the help of a forward ball by Cleiton Silva in the 44th minute.
As the second half started, Hyderabad started looking lethargic. Marquez also looked unhappy with his team’s performance on the sideline. However, overcoming all the odds, Siverio slid the ball into the net in the 72nd minute to make the score 3-2.
Following the rhythm Hyderabad got after the second goal, substitute Abdul Rabeeh scored a solo goal to equalise the match in the final ten minutes to equalise the match and the fixture ended 3-3 as both teams took home a point.