KOCHI: It took Odisha FC nine matches to secure their first win of the season but when they did, it was a comprehensive 4-2 win over Kerala Blasters that also breathed new life into their campaign on a rainy night at the Bambolim stadium on Thursday.
The hero of the night was Odisha's Brazilian forward Diego Mauricio who scored two goals and terrorised the Blasters defence all night. Besides an own goal from Jeakson Singh, Odisha skipper Steven Taylor also got on the scoresheet as they finally won after six defeats and two draws.
Kerala forwards Jordan Murray and Gary Hooper were on target for Kibu Vicuna's side but that was not enough as they were thoroughly outplayed. At the end of the game, Vicuna looked a disconsolate figure while Odisha coach Baxter was a relieved man.
The positions on the table don't change as Odisha remain bottom of the table while Blasters are eleventh but the outcome of this result will have opposite impacts on the two dressing rooms.
When the game started, no one would have predicted the game to be a largely one-sided affair as both teams were struggling for form and results.
Blasters looked slightly better as they had beaten Hyderabad FC recently while Odisha were winless and there was more misery in store when they lost striker Manuel Onwu in the warm-up.
The Kerala based outfit took an early lead in the seventh minute when a free-kick from the half-way line was attacked by Rahul KP. The young winger drew a save from Odisha keeper Arshdeep Singh but Jordan Murray was at hand to slam home the rebound.
That proved to be a false dawn as they capitulated from there on. Diego managed to drag Odisha back into the game when he weaved down through the right flank and put a ball into the six yard box.
Jeakson Singh ended up deflecting the ball into his own net as his goalkeeper Albino Gomes was wrong footed.
Kerala looked a disjointed outfit from there on as Odisha piled on the pressure. The centre-back pairing of Abdul Hakku and Sandeep Singh who kept a clean sheet against a dangerous Hyderabad could not cope with the likes of Diego and Jerry Mawihmingthanga.
Odisha took the lead right before half-time when Taylor virtually had a tap-in at the far post after he wasn't picked up by any of the Blasters during a free-kick.
In the second half, Baxter's men continued to play with a swagger and Jerry got his second assist after he flicked a box into the path of Diego who ran clear on goal and slammed it past Albino.
He went on to score a brilliant solo goal after cutting in from the left and finding the bottom corner after beating two defenders. Odisha were denied again by Albino who made some crucial saves to keep the scoreline down.
Odisha took their foot off the pedal a little after scoring four goals and Blasters managed to score a late goal when Gary Hooper came off the bench to score. That was not enough as they slumped to a crushing defeat that piles the pressure on Vicuna.
For Odisha, things are slowly falling into place but Baxter cautioned against getting carried away after just one result.
Full time score: Kerala Blasters 2 (Murray 7', Hooper 79') lost to Odisha FC 4 (Jeakson 22'og, Taylor 42', Diego 50', 60')