BENGALURU: With the ISL heading into the final few matches of the league stage, each and every match assumes greater significance.
Likewise, on Monday, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC locked horns in an important encounter with both teams in desperate need of a win to stay alive in the playoffs race.
However, Bengaluru showed character to come back from one goal behind to win it 2-1 with Danish Farooq and Cleiton Silva scoring for the Blues after Nandhakumar Sekar gave Odisha the lead.
Bengaluru have moved to fifth position with 26 points from 18 games, one point adrift off fourth placed Kerala Blasters. But, it is important to note that other teams above them have more games in hand.
When it comes to such crunch matches, taking an early lead helps the goal-scoring team settle their nerves. Both teams were eager to do that with the Blues coming close in the sixth minute, but Ramires failed to find the target after a cutback from Naorem Roshan.
In fact it was Odisha, who took the lead with some solid build up play, which was eventually scored by Nandhakumar.
After conceding the goal early, there was a serious need for the Blues to respond quickly and they did in the 31st minute with Farooq converting Roshan’s delivery from the corner.
It was the latter’s seventh assist of the season. On the other hand, with Odisha possessing the likes of Javier Hernandez and Jonathas Cristian, they were always a threat.
The former showed his quality with a brilliant pass down the middle to Sekar, who went past the goalkeeper, but hit the side-netting.
That miss cost them badly with Bengaluru off the blocks quickly in the second half as Silva converted a penalty in the 49th minute to go 2-1 ahead. There was an air of confidence in BFC’s game and threatened to stretch their lead.
Prince Ibara’s strike was well saved by Kamaljit Singh, but it fell to Ramires, who hit the crossbar.
In the 76th minute, it could have been 2-2 when Isaac Chhakchhuak went for a curler, only to be denied by Lara Sharma’s fingertips and the post, helping the Blues keep their lead intact.