Odisha FC vs Kerala Blasters Highlights, ISL 2023-24: OFC 2-1 KBFC at Full Time!


The win for Odisha allow FC Goa to keep the lead in the points table on goal difference while the two sides are locked on 27 points each. Winter leaders KBFC drop to third in space of 24 hours but are just a point off the top spot!
The referee blows the final whistle moments after KBFC wasted their corner! Quick second half goals by Roy Krishna seals the win for Odisha FC after Diamantakos gave first-half lead to KBFC!
90+7' Amey Ranawade with a crucial clearance at the far post to deny Ishan Pandita a shot on goal after Sourav Mandal and Emmanuel Justine coordinate for a counter attack! Mandal provided the cross yet again OFC 2-1 KBFC
90+5' Ishan Pandita disappoints with a through ball into the box while he was in search of Sourav Mandal. Quality was surely lacking from the Indian international
90+3' Ishan Pandita with a weak header for Amrinder Singh to collect comfortably after Sourav Mondal efficiently beats Jerry on the right wing to put in a looping cross. KBFC have been showing intensity in the attacking third but are unable to find much space inside a crowded OFC box!
90+2' Sachin Suresh is forced to come out of the box for a clearance and he does so with a header after Naocha Singh made a poor back pass!
90' Jahouh puts a dangerous ball to the far post for Vignesh, who heads it off target! Meanwhile eight minutes of stoppage time is to be added for KBFC to avoid a defeat! OFC 2-1 KBFC
89' Vukomanovic's changes haven't positively impacted the game as Vignesh wins a freekick on the left flank. Ahmed Jahouh, in all certainty, will look to keep that into the box!
87' The flow of the game is disrupted again as Sergio Lobera makes three changes together for Odisha! Vignesh, CY Goddard and Aniket Jadhav join the play for Diego Mauricio, Isak and Puitea!

83' Fedor Cernych makes KBFC debut as he comes on for Diamantakos. Will he spark an equaliser on his ISL debut? OFC 2-1 KBFC
82' Yellow card for Leskovic for a poor two-footed lunge on Isak Ralte, who was looking to catch them on the break! Deserves a red card, many of the Odisha players believe but the referee shows leniency. Meanwhile another change is coming up for KBFC!
81' Corner for KBFC as Naocha Singh's intended cross from the left wing is deflected out by Roy Krishna, who shows his defensive abilities with a track-back run!
80' Roy Krishna shoots from the edge of the box but straight to Sachin following a counter attack from the left flank again through Isak Ralte. Sachin spills the initial collection but gets to it before any danger could reach him OFC 2-1 KBFC
79' Flow of the game continues to get halted as Sergio Lobera makes his first change! Lenny Rodrigues comes on for Princeton Robello, who also sees a yellow card for taking too long to walk off the pitch OFC 2-1 KBFC

75' Ishan Pandita and Sandeep Singh come on for Kerala Blasters right before the referee calls for a drinks break
73' Mauricio side nets from half a chance following a solo run from the middle! The angle was too tight to find the goal despite beating Sachin!
Meanwhile KBFC are lining up two more changes, confirmation to follow
71' KBFC are looking bit helpless at the moment as they are unable to open up space in the attacking third while the threat of getting caught on counter looms
68' Sachin Suresh shows his quality again as the KBFC goalkeeper blocks a threatening cross into the box from left flank for dangerously-approaching Mauricio!
67' Odisha FC have taken charge of the ball possession and are showing flow in their movement. Certainly looks a confident outfit after those two quick goals by Roy Krishna. OFC 2-1 KBFC

65' KBFC coach Vukomanovic makes two changes right after Krishna is caught offside from Jahouh's freekick delivery

Yellow card for Danish Farooq for dragging down Roy Krishna, who was running rampant on a counter-attack!
Emmanuel Justine, meanwhile, is all set to come on for KBFC while Jahouh will look to setup the indirect freekick!
60' KBFC are now forced to come out of their half and attack while Odisha FC are keeping it tight at the back for no opening. Substitutions are coming very soon! OFC 2-1 KBFC
57' GOOOALLL! UNBELIEVABLE! Roy Krishna heads in his second goal of the night to take outright lead in the golden boot race with 9 goals! Amey Ranawade with the assist following a quickly-taken throw at the right wing!

54' Roy Krishna is now the only third footballer to score 50 or more goals in the ISL. He is behind Bartholomew Ogbeche (62) and Sunil Chhetri (59*)
53' GOOALLL! Roy Krishna scores 50th ISL goal! A bullet header at the far post following an excellent corner kick by Ahmed Jahouh!
52' Stunning save by Sachin Suresh! Mauricio is played free to the goal while Drincic lost the Brazilian! However, Sachin comes off his line well to deflect the ball out for a corner!
49' Jahouh is involved in the build-up more than he was for Odisha FC in the first half. However, KBFC are crowding the box efficiently to kill any openings
48' Amey Ranawade is caught offside in a promising position following a deep indirect freekick by Jahouh from the centre line! The right back got into a good position to shoot but Kotal kept him off!
47' Odisha take early charge of the possession and Ahmed Jahouh drops deep to help the build-up but KBFC defense is not worried OFC 0-0 KBFC
46' Second half begins!
Odisha FC host Kerala Blasters as the two sides resume their Indian Super League campaign at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday (February 2). The match holds significant importance in the ongoing season as both sides have the chance to go top of the ISL 2023-24 points table after FC Goa (27 points) toppled KBFC with a 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC last night.
Numerous stories have emerged from the current ISL season, but one of the most noteworthy is Sergio Lobera's return to lead the Kalinga Warriors. The Spaniard didn't hesitate to take on a whole new task at a team that appeared to have been perpetually trapped in the middle of the table for the past several seasons, following successful periods at FC Goa and Mumbai City FC.
In addition to instilling in the team a winning mindset, Lobera fueled their success on the continent and helped them get to the AFC Cup knockout stages. As of right now, the team is only two points behind Kerala Blasters FC, who are currently atop the standings. Odisha FC can overtake the Ivan Vukomanovic-coached team in the standings with a win in this match, while the Kochi-based team can gain ground on one of their closest rivals with a win.
On the other side, Kerala Blasters FC enjoy the unbeatable advantage of starting the campaign at the top of the standings. Driven by agile attackers and a resilient defense, they frequently turned in standout performances thanks to the encouragement they receive at home. But this will present a unique challenge. Odisha FC may have had an erratic start to the season, but as the year has gone on, their confidence has only risen.
It won't be easy to defeat them at home, and Kerala Blasters FC can't afford to make mistakes now that Lobera's team and FC Goa are circling first position. Despite all of the positive work that has been done thus far, Lobera was unable to win his first trophy with Odisha FC as they lost the Kalinga Super Cup final at home against East Bengal FC. He was keen to atone for that by finishing strongly in the points column here, and the road to that goal begins with facing one of the league's most influential clubs.