Roy Krishna struck twice immediately after the first half to deny debutant Fedor Cernych a post-match party as Odisha FC registered a 2-1 win over ISL leaders Kerala Blasters. The result also helped the Bhubaneswar-based home go past KBFC to second in the league table.
11 minutes. That's all it took young Nihal Sudeesh to justify his starting the game alongside Dimitrios Diamantakos against Odisha FC on Friday. After the homeside failed to deal with a Pritam Kotal throw-in on the right-flank, Nihal effortlessly moved it to the opposition box and fed his triking partner who was waiting. All Diamantakos needed to do was tap the ball in.
The Greek forward made no mistake to score his eighth goal of the season. He stayed the league top-scorer till the break, before Roy Krishna's brace took the Fijian's tally to nine.
Isak Vanlalruatfela and Roy Krishna combined to serve the ball to Diego Maurício inside KBFC just before the 20-minute mark. Howerver, marked by Marko Leskovic, Maurício went down cheaply inside the box in the hope of winning a spot-kick. The referee, who watched the development from close quarters, was not impressed.
Odisha FC shifted gears impressively in the second-half and beat Sachin Suresh twice through their experienced attacker. Lithuanian Fedor Cernych got seven minutes of regular time on the fiel after being subbed in place of Diamantakos. However, he couldn't inspire his team to find an equilizer.
