Odisha FC were playing under assistant coach Anshul Katiyar due to the absence of interim boss Kiko Sanchez, broke the deadlock early through Daniel before Aridai Cabrera doubled the lead.
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Odisha FC defeated North East united FC 2-0 in the Indian super League (ISL) fixture at the Fatorda stadium on Tuesday to keep their play-off hopes alive. OFC, who were playing under assistant coach Anshul Katiyar due to the absence of interim boss Kiko Garcia, after the departure of Kiko Ramirez, broke the deadlock early through Daniel before Aridai Cabrera doubled the lead midway through the first half. Anshul was pleased with his team’s performance and felt that the “boys did really well”.
Katiyar who was speaking to the media after the match said: “When you win, it’s always good and when you lose you learn something. Coming from a difficult situation, we were facing a few issues, and playing like this, I feel the boys did really well.”
OFA were going through a tough phase, having lost four of their previous six games which saw the departure of Ramirez, Therefore they desperately needed a positive result against the Highlanders to stay in touch with the top four.
Anshul continued “We are not just building a team for this year, so it’s just a start. If we are finishing top of the league or let’s say top four, we are going to provide a very strong base to the club.”
Daniel, who had not scored in three years, put his team ahead in the 17th minute. The 24-year-old former Bengaluru FC striker was on the right place to tap-in Aridai Suarez’ low cross from the left of the box.
??????’? ?-??? ?@OdishaFC‘s @DanielLhpa found the net ⚽ for the 1️⃣st time since the 2019-20 #HeroISL season, that too in a thumping victory vs @NEUtdFC ? #NEUOFC #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/zIxeeLcJac
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 19, 2022
Five minutes later, Odisha extended the lead through Aridai. The Spanish forward cut inside from the left side of the penalty area and unleashed a low drive that went past Mirshad Michu and into the goal. It was a poor piece of goalkeeping from Mirshad as the ball went in under his arm.
Meanwhile Anshul was delighted to see Daniel get on the score-sheet and he said : “I feel it’s very important for an Indian striker to score. This opportunity (to play as No 9) always goes to a strong player and these players are coming from the bench and there are always expectations. And when they score it’s excellent for them and their morale.
“It means a lot to the club as well as the club believes in giving more chances to the youth and we have a very good youth development program. So it’s very good for Daniel and the other players.” he concluded.
The win helped OFC to fifth place in the points table with 16 points from 11 games, just one point behind fourth-placed Mumbai City FC. They will next face Hyderabad FC on January 27.
