Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC displayed remarkable resilience as they held Punjab FC to a 1-1 draw at the Kalinga Stadium on Monday, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.
The match took a dramatic turn just before halftime when Rahul KP was sent off in the 44th minute for a foul. Taking full advantage, Punjab FC broke the deadlock through Greek forward Petros Giakoumakis, who scored his first ISL goal, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Despite being a man down, Odisha FC refused to sit back. Encouraged by their home crowd, they continued their attacking play and were rewarded in the 51st minute, when Isak Vanlalruatfela found the equalizer, sending the Kalinga Warriors’ supporters into celebration.
The remainder of the game saw both teams creating chances, but neither could find the decisive goal, leading to a hard-fought draw.
This result marked Odisha FC’s second consecutive disappointing outing, following their 1-2 defeat to FC Goa in Margao four days ago. That match also saw a red card incident, with Ahmed Jahouh sent off, forcing him to miss Monday’s fixture.
With 26 points from 20 matches, Odisha FC currently sits in seventh place in the ISL standings. They now face a critical challenge, needing at least two or three wins in their remaining four matches to secure a top-six finish and book a spot in the playoffs.
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