AFC Cup: Odisha FC beat Bashundhara Kings 1-0, reach inter-zone semi-final playoff

BHUBANESWAR: India's Odisha FC beat ten-man Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings 1-0 in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup group stage match at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar to advance to the Inter-Zone Semi-Final Playoff.

After the win on Monday, Odisha FC made history by qualifying for the Semi-Final Playoff for the first time in their history. After conceding two defeats in the initial stage of the tournament, Sergio Lobera's side displayed a quality performance and clinched four back-to-back matches in the competition.

Odisha's defender Mourtada Fall has proved his worth again by scoring the only goal of the match in the 61st minute. The Senegalese defender used his height to make space inside the Bashundhara Kings's box with his precise-headed flick that directed Ahmed Jahouh's inch-perfect corner into the goal.

The Jahouh-Fall combination helped Sergio Lobera's team write their name into the history of this continental tournament. In the first half, both sides showed their best performance in the game by keeping more possession on their feet. The Indian side started the game on a very positive note and created numerous chances throughout the right flank with the help of Cy Goddard, Amey Ranawade, and Diego Mauricio.

Odisha's Carlos Delgado missed the first goal-scoring opportunity in the 28th minute when he let go a free header inside the box. The away side also got their chance in the initial minutes of the game but Amrinder Singh stood tall under Odisha's goal.

The turning moment of the game took place in the 47th minute when Asror Gafurov made a nasty challenge on Jahouh's ankle which got him a direct red card, causing Kings' to play with a man short. The scoreline was at 0-0 at halftime, but the Indian side showed more prominence with their attacks, which managed to break the deadlock in the 61st minute, helping them to go past Bashundhara Kings' 18-year-old goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon.

In the second half, the biggest chance for the Bangladeshi side came in the 55th minute, when their striker Dori missed an open chance after he failed to beat Amrinder in a one-on-one situation. In the final minutes, the Kings got another chance but Robinho's free-kick went far away from the target.

The Moroccan midfielder Jahouh was brilliant in corners, making numerous crossings that shook the opponent's defence plenty of times, but sometimes it was either Roy Krishna or Diego Mauricio who missed the half-chances or else Odisha FC could easily win the match with a bigger scoreline.

In the 92nd minute of the game, Jahouh got a chance to confirm the win but his attempt missed the net by inches. The Juggernauts will now move on to the AFC Cup Inter-Zone Semi-Final Playoff, being the only Indian team to be qualified in the tournament.