Odisha FC and SC East Bengal were involved in the highest-scoring fixture in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) history when the two sides squared off at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday. Odisha FC won the encounter 6-5 as they came from behind after trailing at the break.

• Anthony Pilkington scored the first goal of the match before S Lalhrezuala restored parity.
• A Ravi Kumar own goal gave SC East Bengal the lead in the 37th minute.
• Paul Ramfangzauva and Jerry Mawihmingthanga scored braces and Diego Mauricio added Odisha FC’s sixth in the second half.
• An Aaron Joshua Holloway brace and a goal from Jeje Lalpekhlua meant that SC East Bengal ended up losing 6-5.

After a quiet start to the match by both teams, it was Pilkington who opened the scoring for SC East Bengal with a brilliant finish in the 24th minute. The midfielder received the ball on the right flank and broke into the attacking third before firing his shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

Odisha FC weren’t behind for too long though, levelling the score in the 33rd minute. After SC East Bengal were unable to clear their lines from a corner, young full-back S Lalhrezuala managed to get a shot on target which crept through the goalkeeper’s legs for the equalising goal.

Pilkington then forced the Odisha FC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar into a save in the 36th minute but the latter was unfortunate to concede an own goal from the ensuing corner. SC East Bengal took a short corner and after receiving the ball on the right, Jacques Maghoma’s low cross across the goal was met by Aaron Joshua Holloway. His shot was intercepted by Manuel Onwu, whose attempted clearance ricocheted off the goalkeeper and went into the goal.

After their second goal, SC East Bengal were in control for the remainder of the first half. Three minutes after they scored their second goal, a tame Pilkington effort was easily saved by Ravi. However, Odisha struggled to get going at the other end of the pitch as they went into the break trailing by a goal.

Odisha FC came back into the game just four minutes after the restart. Paul Ramfangzauva received the ball from Bradden Inman and fired a shot from outside the box to beat Subrata Paul.

A couple of minutes later, they took the lead after Onwu won the ball from Surchandra Singh and crossed it into the danger zone. Jerry Mawihmingthanga did the rest as he headed the cross towards goal and saw it brush off the woodwork before heading into the net.

However, their lead did not last for long. On the hour mark, Holloway shrugged off his marker and attempted a shot on goal which hit the inside of the post and went into the net for SC East Bengal’s third goal of the game.

With the score at 3-3, Odisha FC upped the ante and turned the tables on their opponents. The Bhubaneswar-based club scored thrice in four minutes, with both Paul and Jerry bagging braces for their team.

In the 66th minute, Paul collected the ball after Rana Gharami blocked Vinit Rai’s shot. The 21-year-old midfielder’s shot from distance went on to beat the goalkeeper and head into the net. Moments later, Jerry smashed a lobbed pass into the box by Diego Mauricio to make it 5-3 for Odisha FC.

Mauricio turned from provider to goal-scorer after scoring a beautiful freekick in the 69th minute. The Brazilian attacker took a low shot which went underneath the SC East Bengal wall for Odisha FC’s sixth goal of the match.  

SC East Bengal though went down fighting as Jeje Lalpekhlua scored the 10th goal of the match, and his team’s fourth, from close range. Bright Enobakhare’s pass to Pilkington was played onto the path of the Indian striker, who did well to head the ball into the net for his first goal of the season.

The Red and Gold Brigade reduced the deficit to just one goal in injury time. Holloway scored his second goal of the game after his header from a Daniel Fox flick on found the back of the net. However, it was a little too late for Robbie Fowler’s men as Odisha FC hung on for their second win of the season.      

Hero of the Match: Paul Ramfangzauva

The young midfielder scored two goals in the second half, both from distance. He also made three successful tackles for his team as well as two successful interceptions and a block.   

Other Match Awards:

Club Award: Odisha FC

DHL Winning Pass of the Match: Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC)

Watch the Match Highlights here: