Picture Credit: Twitter
That's all we have and nobody will be complaining that it wasn't enough. Commiserations if you missed the game, nothing else. Coverage brought to you by Nived Zenith. Make sure you tune in tomorrow for a blockbuster SUPER SUNDAY.
Anthony Pilkington provided the lead to East Bengal before Lalhrezuala equalised. However, Odisha found themselves trailing at the interval courtesy of an own goal by Ravi Kumar. The Mizo revolution turned the game on its head in the second half. Paul Ramfangzauva and Jerry Mawihmingthanga netted braces before Diego Mauricio got himself on the score sheet. Aaron Amadi-Holloway also bagged a brace, while Jeje Lalpekhlua scored off the bench for East Bengal. However, the Kolkata giants' efforts proved futile in the end of what was a crazy game.
In a week that witnessed a Test match getting over in just two days, Odisha and East Bengal have still managed to produce the most bizzare sporting contest. 11 goals and it is Odisha who ultimately prevail. No ISL game has witnessed more goals of course. Not going to experience something of that sort anytime soon in Indian football.
PEEEEP! PEEEEEP! PEEEEEEEEP! FULL TIME: ODISHA FC 6-5 SC EAST BENGAL
[90+5'] GOOOOOOAAAAL, MY WORD! - Aaron Amadi-Holloway sends a looping header past to pull one back for East Bengal. 11th goal of the game, surely there can't be another? 6-5 in Bambolim, what a contest!
[90'] SIX MINUTES ADDED ON by the fourth official at GMC Stadium.
[84'] HOLLOWAY BLASTS IT OVER THE BAR! - Daniel Fox feeds Aaron Amadi-Holloway and the East Bengal forward turns quickly before getting his shot away. No troubles for Odisha though, Amadi-Holloway is unable to keep it down and on target.
[80'] SHOT FLIES OVER! - Brad Inman aims his shot towards the far top corner from the edge of the area. The Odisha midfielder has not found the dip he would've wanted in the effort and it sails over the cross-bar.
DRINKS BREAK: Odisha FC 6-4 SC East Bengal; Can someone explain this game? Lost for words!
[75'] GOOOOAAAL, HAPPY HUNTING FOR MIZOS! - Robbie Fowler had sent in Jeje Lalpekhlua in the hope of finding a goal and the 'Mizo Sniper' has delivered for East Bengal. Jeje is at the right place at the right time to tuck his header away from close range. 6-4 in Bambolim!
[70'] GOOOOOOOAAL, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? - East Bengal captain Daniel Fox concedes a free-kick right at the edge of their penalty area. Diego Mauricio stands behind it and has the intelligence to roll it beneath the wall after they jumped. Odisha are in dreamland. East Bengal do not know where to look, that's the fifth goal we have had in the second half. 6-3
[68'] GOOOOOOAAAL, THIS IS TURNING INTO AN ASSAULT! - Diego Mauricio finds Jerry Mawihmingthanga with a clever dink inside the area. The Odisha winger has smashed his first-time volley into the far top-corner. Five Indian goal-scorers fro Odisha and all of them from Mizoram. What an absolute mauling this is turning out to be.
[66'] GOOOOOOOAAAL, OH WOW! - Vinit Rai has a shot on goal but it is blocked and Paul Ramfangzauva picks up the pieces. The Odisha midfielder decides to try his luck from 30 yards out and he has completely caught the East Bengal custodian unaware with his effort. The ball is fired into the corner. Odisha have the lead again!
SUBSTITUTION FOR ODISHA: Manuel Onwu OFF, Isak Vanlalruatfela ON
[63'] FOUL, YELLOW CARD! - The referee has brandished a booking to Odisha winger Jerry Mawihmingthanga for fouling Surchandra Singh to deny East Bengal the opportunity to counter-attack.
[60'] GOOOOOAAAAL, HOLLOWAY BREAKS THE DUCK! - What an absolute goal-fest this is turning out to be in Bambolim. East Bengal striker Aaron Amadi-Holloway has finally ended his drought. What a way to get your first goal as well. Amadi-Holloway received the ball inside the final third and turned around his man before drilling a low shot beyond the reach of Odisha custodian Ravi Kumar from outside the box. The shot crashed in off the woodwork and East Bengal are level. 3-3!
[57'] FOUL, YELLOW CARD! - Odisha captain Vinit Rai is booked by the referee for a foul from behind on Bright Enobakhare. The midfielder apologizes quickly as well.
East Bengal don't know what hit them after the break. Odisha have come out off the blocks with all guns blazing. There is still plenty of time for more goals though.
[52'] GOOOOOAAAL, MIZO POWER! - Odisha have turned it around. Dramatic start to the second half in Bambolim. Manuel Onwu muscles Surchandra Singh off the ball near the corner flag and then whips the ball in towards Jerry Mawihmingthanga. The Odisha winger fires it home with his head. All three goals for Odisha have come from Mizoram-born players, they are running the show in Bambolim.
[49'] GOOOOOAAAALL, PAUL BEATS PAUL! - Brad Inman does well to hold the ball up and squares it towards Paul Ramfangzauva. The Odisha midfielder takes a touch and has smashed it into the bottom corner from outside the box. East Bengal custodian Subrata Paul is outfoxed by his namesake. We're back to how it started, all square. 2-2
[47'] HEADER FLIES OVER! - Brad Inman whips in a delightful ball from a free-kick for Odisha. Jacob Tratt leaps above his man to connect with his head, but the effort from the Odisha defender has looped over the goal and lands on the roof of the net.
[46'] PEEEEEP! WE'RE BACK LIVE! - Odisha FC get us underway in the second half, the Kalinga Warriors are playing from right to left in their black home kit and hoping to find a goal to pull things back on level terms.
Time for a short breather now. Live action from the second half coming your way on the other side, stay tuned!
East Bengal have edged themselves ahead again shortly after conceding the equaliser. The Kolkata giants are still in the driving seat, but they surely know that a one-goal advantage is far from secure in football. Odisha need to come out firing on all cylinders in the second half, they didn't do that quite often in the opening forty-five.
PEEEEP! PEEEEEEP! HALF TIME: ODISHA FC 1-2 SC EAST BENGAL
[45'] THREE MINUTES ADDED ON by the fourth official at the GMC Stadium.
FOUL, YELLOW CARD! - East Bengal forward Anthony Pilkington receives a booking from the referee for a poor challenge there.
[44'] ENOBAKHARE DENIED! - East Bengal hit Odisha on the counter-attack with the pace of Bright Enobakhare. The Nigerian skips past a couple of defenders and then gets inside the penalty area. However, Enobakhare has probably done a bit too much and his eventual shot is blocked and the opportunity is lost.
What an eventful turnaround after the water break in Bambolim. Just when you thought Odisha were back in it, they have conceded in the worst possible manner. If this is going to be the nature of the game, expect more goals.
[37'] OWN GOAL, JOY EAST BENGAL! - Comedy of errors in the build-up to the goal there. Jacques Maghoma drills in a low cross after a corner and Aaron Amadi-Holloway is unable to turn it in. Odisha are involved in a goal-mouth scramble to try and clear their lines. Manuel Onwu attempts to hoof the loose ball away, but his clearance has crashed into Odisha custodian Ravi Kumar and goes into his own net. East Bengal will take it no matter how it comes. 2-1!
[34'] GOOOOOOAAAL, BACK IN IT! - Odisha have restored parity from the resulting corner. The ball is delivered into the danger area and Lalhrezuala fends off pressure from his marker before firing his shot between the legs of East Bengal custodian Subrata Paul from close range. The Kalinga Warriors finally have an Indian goalscorer and it is young Zuala from Mizoram. 1-1!
[33'] CORNER TO ODISHA! - Good build-up play by Odisha down the left flank. Full-back George D'souza attempt to whip in the cross, but it is blocked behind for a corner by Sarthak Golui.
[30'] DRINKS BREAK: Odisha FC 0-1 SC East Bengal; Anthony Pilkington has broken the deadlock for East Bengal. Powerful finish into the far bottom corner. Odisha have not gotten off their blocks yet. If the Kalinga Warriors fail to turn up quickly, East Bengal could hand them another mauling.
Odisha have been under pressure for quite some time here. East Bengal taking full advantage of possession and are deservedly in the lead. Worrying signs for Steven Dias and his men.
[24'] GOOOOOAAAAAAL, PILKINGTON DRAWS FIRST BLOOD! - Wahengbam Luwang (Angou) feeds the ball towards Anthony Pilkington, who darts into the Odisha penalty area. The East Bengal forward then drops his shoulder to open up space and he fires it into the far bottom corner in the blink of an eye. Brilliant finish and East Bengal rejoice. 1-0!
Odisha eventually survive the barrage of corners that followed there. East Bengal disappointed about the fact that they could not make the opportunity count.
[19'] TIPPED ONTO THE WOODWORK! - East Bengal whip in a corner and with the delivery threatening to loop in behind Ravi Kumar, the Odisha custodian tips the ball onto the woodwork and out of play for a corner. Nervy moments for Odisha.
[17'] CROSS GOES BEGGING! - Surchandra Singh whips in an excellent cross from the right flank. Unfortunately for East Bengal, Aaron Amadi-Holloway is unable to get his toe on the end of it as the ball flashes across goal and runs out of play for a throw-in on the far side.
[10'] MAURICIO FIRES IT WIDE! - Diego Mauricio receives the ball on the left from a throw-in. The Odisha forward checks back into the penalty area and attempts to go for goal himself. Although the idea was right, the execution did not match his ambition and the shot flashes wide of the target.
[9'] FOUL ON ONWU! - East Bengal wing-back Surchandra Singh has caught Manuel Onwu with a flailing arm and the referee blows the whistle for a foul straightaway. Odisha are unable to cause any trouble from the resulting free-kick though.
[5'] FOUL BY VINIT! - The Odisha captain is penalised by the referee for a high foot on Wahengbam Luwang (Angou) there. Free-kick to East Bengal, but it is delivered straight into the arms of Odisha custodian Ravi Kumar.
[1'] PEEEEEEEP! WE'RE UNDERWAY! - SC East Bengal kick-off proceedings in the first half, the Kolkata giants are playing from right to left in their white away kit.
Both sets of players disperse after the national anthem and make a quick pose for the customary team photo. Captains Vinit Rai and Daniel Fox will now meet for the coin toss.
Now Odisha FC follow their counterparts onto the lush green grass at the GMC Stadium. The Kalinga Warriors are in their black home kit with a touch of purple to it.
SC East Bengal are the first team walking out of the tunnel, the Kolkata giants are donning their white away kit for the clash.
NOT LONG TO GO NOW! - About 30 minutes remaining for KICK-OFF from the GMC Stadium. Make sure you check out FANTASY TIPS on our website.
THE BENCH! - East Bengal bench comprises of Ankit Mukherjee, Mohammed Rafique, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Debjit Majumder among others.
NO STEINMANN! - Influential midfielder Matti Steinmann is absent from the squad. However, captain Daniel Fox is back from suspension. Rana Gharami also gets the nod at the back in the absence of the suspended Raju Gaikwad. As expected, the likes of Jacques Maghoma, Anthony Pilkington and Bright Enobakhare return to the line-up. Aaron Amadi-Holloway retains his place as well. Surchandra Singh and Wahengbam Luwang (Angou) are also handed rare starts.
SC East Bengal XI: Subrata Paul (GK); Sarthak Golui, Rana Gharami, Daniel Fox, Surchandra Singh, Wahengbam Luwang (Angou), Jacques Maghoma, Narayan Das, Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Anthony Pilkington, Bright Enobakhare
Subs: Debjit Majumder (GK); Rohen Singh, Ankit Mukherjee, Mohammed Rafique, Yumnam Singh, Bikash Jairu, Sehnaj Singh, Haobam Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua
OPTIONS! - Interim coach Steven Dias has named the likes of Rakesh Pradhan, Isak Vanlalruatfela, Daniel Lalhlimpuia and Laishram Singh among others on the bench as substitutes for Odisha.
WHOLESALE CHANGES! - Odisha have opted to test out some of their fringe players in defence. Second-choice custodian Ravi Kumar starts between the sticks. The likes of Lalhrezuala, Gaurav Bora and George D'souza also get opportunities alongside Jacob Tratt in front of him. Steven Taylor is unavailable due to injury.
Odisha FC XI: Ravi Kumar (GK); Lalhrezuala, Jacob Tratt, Gaurav Bora, George D'souza, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Paul Ramfangzauva, Vinit Rai, Brad Inman, Diego Mauricio, Manuel Onwu
Subs: Arshdeep Singh (GK); Mohd Sajid Dhot, Saurabh Meher, Kamalpreet Singh, Rakesh Pradhan, Isak Vanlalruatfela, Baoringdao Bodo, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Laishram Singh
The TEAM NEWS will arrive shortly. We will chalk out the finer details as and when we receive confirmation from both teams on their line-ups.
East Bengal come into the meeting with Odisha on the back of consecutive defeats. However, the Kolkata giants will be buoyed by the return of Robbie Fowler at the touchline. The Englishman has now fully served his ban for his comments on match officials and will look to mastermind a win. For many of the players, the game could also be an audition. An opportunity for them to convince the management not to release them next season.
Odisha suffered a thrashing at the hands of Mumbai City in their last outing. Diego Mauricio gave the Kalinga Warriors a shock lead early on, but Bartholomew Ogbeche netted a brace and Bipin Singh became the first player to score a hat-trick this term as Mumbai eventually won 6-1. There is hardly anything that suggests Odisha can add to their solitary win this season. Even in the reverse fixture with East Bengal, they went down 3-1 without producing much of a fight.
THE FINAL ACT! - Odisha FC and SC East Bengal were never realistically involved in the race for playoffs in the Indian Super League this season. It is time for them to draw the curtains on what has been a forgetful campaign. Their final league game is a dead rubber indeed, but the sides are not expected to hold back any patches. A win would be a nice feeling, these sides desperately yearn it after all. IT IS SHOWTIME IN BAMBOLIM!
