(Football news) ATK Mohun Bagan were held to a 1-1 draw against Odisha FC at the Tilak Maidan on Thursday. The Mariners had an opportunity to progress to the second place in the Indian Super League table but are now level on points (31) with Jamshedpur FC despite having played a game more. Odisha FC’s Redeem Tlang (5th) opened the scoring but Joni Kauko equalised for ATK Mohun Bagan in the 8th minute from the penalty spot. Both sides failed to find a breakthrough in the second half as Liridon Krasniqi hit the woodwork and Roy Krishna was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
It was a panic-stricken start to the match for the Mariners as Odisha FC took an early lead inside the first five minutes. Jerry Mawihmingthanga made a darting run in the right flank and crossed the ball to Redeem Tiang who found the back of the net. However, they could only maintain the lead for a few minutes as ATK Mohun Bagan scored an equaliser when Sahil Panwar fouled Hugo Boumous in the penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty which was duly converted by Joni Kauko.
Odisha FC had a fantastic opportunity to regain their lead when Aridai Suarez was brought down inside the box by Tiri and were subsequently awarded a penalty but Amrinder Singh saved Javi Hernandez’s meek penalty. The Kalinga Warriors had another opportunity to find a breakthrough when Javi provided a defence splitting pass to Aridai but Amrinder Singh charged towards the ball, denying the Spaniard an opportunity to score. Odisha FC head coach Kino García substituted Javi who suffered a knock with Daniel Lalhlimpuia near the halfway mark.
In the second half, ATK Mohun Bagan Head Coach Juan Ferrando replaced Carl McHugh with Roy Krishna as the Mariners looked to find a winning goal. Both the sides struggled to create clear cut opportunities as the game went on with substitute Krasniqi coming the closest when his effort hit the crossbar while Krishna was shown a red card in stoppage time after two yellow card offences. Odisha FC will face Jamshedpur FC in their next match on Friday, 4th March at the GMC Athletic Stadium while ATK Mohun Bagan will take on Bengaluru FC on Sunday, 27th February at the Fatorda Stadium.
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