AFC Cup 2023-24: Odisha FC stay afloat with 5-2 win over Mohun Bagan 

Odisha FC rallied from a goal down to secure a 5-2 victory over Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their penultimate match of the AFC Cup 2023-24 Group D at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.

Hugo Boumous (17’) opened the scoring for Mohun Bagan SG but Odisha’s Roy Krishna (29’) Diego Maurício (31’) and Cy Goddard (41’) turned the tables on the Indian Super League champions before the half-time whistle. 

A second-half goal from Kiyan Nassiri (63’) brought the Indian Super League champions back in contention but late goals from Aniket Jadhav (90+2’) and Isak Vanlalruatfela (90+5’) helped Odisha FC put the game to bed.

The win enabled Odisha FC to leapfrog Mohun Bagan on the second spot on the AFC Cup Group D points table. 

Odisha FC will take on table-toppers Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh in a must-win home encounter on December 11 for a place in the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals. Even a draw in that match would see Bashundhara Kings progress to the next round.

Meanwhile, the 5-2 loss against Odisha ended Mohun Bagan’s challenge in the AFC Cup. The Durand Cup winners will face bottom-placed Maziya SRC in a dead rubber on December 11.

On Monday, Both Indian football clubs mirrored each other in possession and passing during the first 45 minutes. Despite this balance, Mohun Bagan SG, hampered by the absence of several key players due to injury, failed to significantly challenge the Odisha defense in the latter stage of the first half.

Mohun Bagan started the match better, displaying early dominance. They secured the lead through a splendid team effort culminating with Hugo Boumous’s composed finish in the 17th minute. 

Liston Colaco dribbled the ball and beat multiple defenders along the left, before executing a precise cross-field pass to Asish Rai on the right. Asish Rai subsequently delivered a cross to Boumous at the far post. With composure, Boumous made the most of the opportunity and struck the ball past goalkeeper Amrinder Singh to make it 1-0.

However, Odisha FC started to gain a foothold in the match gradually. Ahmed Jahouh’s passing and defending and Roy Krishna’s presence in the attacking third played a crucial role in the fightback from the visitors. 

Roy Krishna scored the equaliser against his former club in the 29th minute after a failed Mohun Bagan clearance. The Fijian striker then assisted Diego Maurício for the second goal with a darting pass into the box. Mauricio then tapped it in from the goalmouth to make it 2-1 in quick time. 

Diego Maurício then turned the provider for Cy Goddard in the 39th minute, who outfoxed Glan Martins with a feigned left-footed shot before smashing it into the net with his right foot.

The 63rd-minute header from Mohun Bagan’s Kiyan Nassiri put the game back into the reach of the home side, who fought tooth and nail for an equaliser. However, two stoppage-time goals for Odisha FC through Aniket Jadhav and Isak Vanlalruatfela put the game beyond the reach of Mohun Bagan SG.

The AFC Cup is the second-tier Asian continental club football competition after the AFC Champions League. Each team in Group D will play the other three teams in a home-and-away round-robin format. Only the top team progresses to the next stage.