ISL 2023 : Odisha FC Down Hyderabad FC 3 -1, Keep Play-off Hopes Alive

Odisha FC, facing the toughest test of their remaining three rounds of games, put on an impressive display to defeat Hyderabad FC and advance to the top six of the Indian Super League (ISL) standings with a convincing 3-1 victory over the No. 2 team on Friday at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Isac Vanlalruatfela gave the hosts a surprising lead in the 33rd minute, but Nim Dorjee Tamang pulled the Nizams even just before halftime. However, two goals in the second half—an own goal by Tamang and a fine finish by Diego Mauricio—gave Odisha a boost and kept their hopes of making it to their first playoffs alive. Odisha (27 points from 18) has won with this victory.climbed up the list, knocking Bengaluru FC out of the top six, while Hyderabad, which had already qualified for the next round, held onto second position.Odisha got the game going quickly and applied pressure to their highly anticipated opponents the whole first half. Hyderabad failed to generate a single half-chance throughout the opening 45 minutes of the game due to the Kalinga Warriors' domination, with the exception of that one opportunity for the Nizams, which they took advantage of to tie the score.Early in the third minute, Odisha had their first opportunity, but Mauricio's close-range shot was blocked by Hyderabad goalie Gurmeet Singh. Gurmeet's double save in the 23rd minute spared Hyderabad's face. Nandhakumar Sekar was the first to attempt a tricky angle shot on the right side of the box, which Gurmeet stopped with an extended leg. On the rebound, Mauricio attempted a close-range attempt but was unable to overcome the alert goalkeeper.

The Brazilian striker often made it difficult for the opposing defence with quick runs into the box, but he was unable to get across the line in time. However, youthful Mizo winger Vanlalruatfela's stunning goal from outside the box in the 33rd minute gave Odisha the advantage they well deserved.Isak received a ball from Pedro Martin on the left, and from a great distance, he fired a right-footed effort that sank just in time to beat Gurmeet as he leaped to the top right corner of the goal. The Juggernauts' happiness was short-lived, though, as Hyderabad levelled the score in the last seconds of the first half thanks to center-back Tamang's diving header in response to a Joel Chianese free-kick. Following the switch of ends, both sides made an exhilarating end-to-end effort to progress. But in the 72nd minute, the home team reclaimed the advantage. With three yellow players surrounding him, Mauricio made a move into the area on the left and resisted the challenge to keep the ball moving. After some activity in the goalmouth brawl,As Gurmeet turned to his left, Sekar's left-footed effort took a significant deflection off Tamang's left leg. The striker received the ball on the left side of the box.

Odisha applied constant pressure to ensure that their opponents had as few opportunities as possible to retake the lead. The player who shared the lion's share of the evening's labour was rewarded with the goal that ended the game in extra time.With a right-footed shot from a challenging angle on the right that went in close to the far post, Mauricio beat the goalkeeper. Isaac Vanmalsawma, a replacement, helped him with a through pass that expertly avoided the offside trap.