Despite a couple of glaring defensive errors, Odisha FC didn't ultimately suffer from them as it ran out 4-2 winner against Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday.
Xisco Hernandez, Aridane Santana and Jerry Mawihmingthanga scored in the first half to give Odisha a 3-0 lead at half-time. Santana added his second and his team's fourth in the second period to give his side an emphatic scoreline.
Sportstar looks at the major talking points from the match.
Borges injured in warm-up
Rowllin Borges seemed to have pulled his hamstring in the warm-ups and the central midfielder was replaced in the starting line-up by forward Serge Kevyn. Jorge Costa had to make a big change in his set up by asking Paulo Machado to play in central midfield alongside Raynier Fernandes. Borges proved to be a loss as Xisco and Santana found plenty of room in the middle of the park.
For Odisha's second, Santana ran in unmarked at the edge of the box and found his spot to slot in the goal. It wasn't until the second half that Mumbai City looked settled with its personnell. Odisha, too, had an injury in the build up the game when central midfielder Bikramjit Singh was kept out of the game. But it was a like-for-like replacement for Josep Gombau as he brought in Vinit Rai.
Jerry continues to shine
The winger was the standout player for Odisha despite the defeats in the opening two matches. On Thursday, he provided two assists and a goal in front of the national team boss Igor Stimac in Mumbai. He created four chances, finding Santana twice with his crosses, in a scintillating performance on the right wing.
Sarangi impresses at right-back
Shubham Sarangi has quietly been impressing in the right-back role for Odisha. He put in a solid effort combining well with Jerry on the right flank, releasing the winger with a quick pass in the build up for Odisha's second goal. The 19-year-old was clever in his passing and hardly committed errors in the face of Mumbai City's pressing.
For Jerry's goal, Sarangi held off a challenge in the middle of the park and played a cross-field pass to find Nandhakumar Sekar free on the left. The quick switch allowed Nandhakumar enough space to run into before cutting in and taking the shot which led to the goal.
Odisha plays it smart
After the 3-0 lead in the first half, Odisha would have liked to have breathed easy early on in the second half but Mumbai City came out stronger. Some sustained pressure from the home side led to a dodgy penalty decision going against Odisha from which Amine Chermiti pulled a goal back.
This was proceeded by a stoppage in play after a knock to Xisco which proved to curb Mumbai City's momentum. Odisha went on to manage possession better with the calming influence of Marcos Tebar and Vinit in the middle of the park.
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