ISL 2020-21 highlights, OFC vs SCEB: Paul, Jerry star in Odisha FC's 6-5 win over SC East Bengal

ISL, SCEB vs OFC: Odisha FC ended the season with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over SC East Bengal at the GMC Stadium Bambolim.

Updated : Feb 27, 2021 22:33 IST

A shot deflected off Odisha 'keeper Ravi Kumar and bounced back into the net to give East Bengal the lead.
A shot deflected off Odisha 'keeper Ravi Kumar and bounced back into the net to give East Bengal the lead.
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A shot deflected off Odisha 'keeper Ravi Kumar and bounced back into the net to give East Bengal the lead.

This is Sportstar's ISL 2020-21 blog of the Odisha FC and SC East Bengal match that happened in Goa on Saturday.

REPORT |

Robbbie Fowler " I disagree with it being a disappointing season. We would have liked things to have been better. There were individual errors and we let ourselves down. Less said about the second half the better. Every shot they had went in. We knew it was a big job before start of the season. Expectations were a bit higher than what we envisaged. [On six months before next season?] We can prepare for next season now. We didnt have enough time for this season. We ahve few months to get things in shape. [How have his Indian players improved this season] I dont know if you are after a comment from me. At times they have been left wanting. Attitude and desire need to be improved. We have lot of things gone against us this year. If you are honest people dont like it here. Its better to keep it quiet."

 

6.50 PM: NINE changes for East Bengal from the 1-2 loss to NorthEast United, when it made eight changes to the starting XI. Only Aaron Holloway and Sarthak Golui are the only players to retain their spots. The foreigners Bright, Pilkington, Fox and Maghoma, who all were omitted from the matchday squad, go straight back into the XI.

6.45 PM: Five changes for Odisha from its 1-6 loss to Mumbai City. Ravi Kumar, S Lalhrezuala, Gaurav Bora, George D'souza, Bradden Inman - IN. Arshdeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, Steven Taylor, Rakesh Pradhan, B. Bodo - OUT

6.30 PM: The team news is in

Odisha FC XI (4-3-3)

Ravi Kumar; S Lalhrezuala, Gaurav Bora, Jacob Tratt, George D'souza; Bradden Inman, Paul Ramfangzuava, Vinit Rai, Jerry Mawihmingthanga; Diego Mauricio, Manuel Onwu

SC East Bengal XI (5-3-2)

Subrata Paul; Surchandra Singh, Sarthak Golui, Daniel Fox, Rana Gharami, Narayan Das; Jacques Maghoma, Wahengbam Luwang, Anthony Pilkington; Aaron Holloway, Bright Enobakhare

6 PM: Here's how the two teams could line-up on the night.

Odisha FC predicted XI (4-5-1)

Arshdeep Singh; Mohd Sajid Dhot, Jacob Tratt, Steven Taylor, Rakesh Pradhan; Shubham Sarangi, Bradden Inman, Cole Alexander, Vinit Rai, Jerry Mawihmingthanga; Diego Mauricio

SC East Bengal predicted XI (5-3-2)

Subrata Paul; Ankit Mukherjee, Sarthak Golui, Daniel Fox, Raju Gaikwad, Narayan Das; Sourav Das, Jacques Maghoma, Matti Steinmann; Anthony Pilkington, Bright Enobakhare

5.45 PM: PODCAST - Will it be ATK Mohun Bagan or Mumbai City FC which takes the League Winner's Shield? Which among FC Goa and Hyderabad FC will take the final playoff place? In the latest episode of Sportstar's 'The Full Time Show', N. Sudarshan, Shyam Vaudevan & Aashin Prasad discuss how the top-four is shaping up.

 

Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 .

ISL 2020: Points Table

The seventh edition of the Indian Super League got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.

The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.

MATCH PREVIEW:

Odisha FC and SC East Bengal are the two teams that have spent the most time at the bottom of the 2020-21 Indian Super League standings. Playing for pride at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday, both of them will be looking to end a disappointing ISL campaign on a high.

A victory for either side in game 108 of the ongoing edition could prove vital in the grand scheme of things. OFC and SCEB are set to release a host of players before next season and experience a massive overhaul, except for a few match-winners who might be retained. Hence, several players have a point to prove.

READ: NorthEast United completes superb recovery, qualifies for playoffs with Blasters win

Moreover, English managers Robbie Fowler (East Bengal) and Stuart Baxter (Odisha) didn't have the best of times in India. They've not only had troubles with the performances of their respective clubs on the field but also with their own post-match interviews on the sidelines. 

Post Baxter's exit due to his offensive analogy about rape while talking about a refereeing decision, the Kalinga Warriors were managed by interim coach Gerald Peyton, who has now gone back to Japan for personal reasons. The team is currently under the helm of assistant manager Steven Dias.

"I'm trying to keep the boys motivated in training sessions and meetings. They look ready, and hopefully, it will be a good match because both teams want a win to end on a good note. We will give our best," Dias said ahead of his outfit's final clash in ISL 2020-21.

READ: Jamshedpur beats Bengaluru 3-2, Chhetri scores 100th goal for BFC

OFC could match Chennaiyin FC's unwanted record for the least points accumulated in a single edition -- nine in ISL 2018/19 -- with a loss to SCEB. Dias feels the lack of a proper pre-season led to the downfall of the Juggernauts.

"The biggest reason for our failure was when coach Baxter came out of quarantine, he didn’t get much time to work with the squad. I feel if he had enough time to spend with the boys, this season would have gone much better than this. When you have a bad season, there are always positives to take out. And that’s what we are doing," he added.

On the other hand, Fowler will return to the Red and Gold Brigade's dugout after serving out a four-game suspension due to his inappropriate remarks against Indian referees. This will be a major boost for them in an attempt to seal the eighth spot.

Ninth-placed East Bengal needs a victory by four goals or more to move above CFC in the points table. It had scored three past OFC in the reverse outing at the Tilak Maidan in January and will be looking to capitalise on the outside chance.

SCEB's Raju Gaikwad is suspended for the upcoming fixture on Saturday night after receiving a red card against NorthEast United FC three days ago. Star striker Bright Enobakhare and skipper Daniel Fox are doubtful too, while Odisha has a fully fit squad.

 

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