Odisha FC vs FC Goa: 10-man Juggernauts hold Gaurs to a 1-1 draw in ISL 2022-23 | OneFootball

FC Goa rose to fourth in the ISL 2022-23 standings after playing out a 1-1 draw with 10-man Odisha FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday, January 6.

While Noah Sadaoui opened the scoring for the Gaurs as early as the second minute, Diego Mauricio restored parity in the dying moments of the first half. Although the visitors were a man down for most of the second half, they managed to hold on to the 1-1 draw.

FC Goa had a great start to the game, with Sadaoui breaking the deadlock in the second minute. Alvaro Vazquez latched onto a miscued pass from Odisha FC in the middle of the park and caught the opposition on the break. The Spanish forward slotted the ball into the path of Sadaoui, who got the better of Shubham Sarangi on the flank and drilled it past Amrinder Singh.

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Yet again, Josep Gombau's men managed to concede early on in the game and trailed right from the very beginning. But they reacted positively after going behind. They kept on bombing forward, creating half-chances, but lacked the decisive touch.

Seemingly, the Kalinga Warriors were in need of some individual brilliance to alter the scoreline. In the 43rd minute, Isak Vanlalruatfela was fouled almost 25 yards out. Diego Mauricio presided over the dead-ball situation and whipped a thunderous freekick to beat Dheeraj Singh, who got fingertips to the ball but couldn't keep it out.

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Both teams went into the half-time break on level terms and it was perfectly set up for a dramatic second half.

10-man Odisha FC show resilience to hold on to a draw against FC Goa

Coming out in the second half, Odisha FC continued with their front-foot approach against FC Goa. In the 52nd minute, the hosts came close to taking the lead when Nandhakumar Sekar put in a lovely cross to find Saul Crespo, who headed it towards goal but Dheeraj stepped in with a crucial save.

The Juggernauts kept the pressure on but they suffered a massive blow in the 66th minute when Sahil Panwar was shown the second yellow card. The defender was given marching orders, giving the Gaurs a man advantage.

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FC Goa realized the opportunity and kept pushing forward throughout the dying moments of the second half to get ahead but Odisha FC weren't ready to seize the point. The visitors created a glorious opportunity in the additional time through Diego Mauricio but Anwar Ali was up to the task and saved the day with a last-ditch tackle.

As the referee blew the final whistle, both teams settled for a point. FC Goa are now fourth in the standings ahead of ATK Mohun Bagan, while Odisha FC are still seventh, a point behind Bengaluru FC.