Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC ushered in the euphoria of winning the first-ever silverware in the club’s history when they defeated Bengaluru FC 1-2 in the Hero Super Cup 2023 final on Tuesday, April 25.
Continuing his clinical run-of-form in the tournament, Diego Mauricio scored a brace to write a historic chapter for the Juggernauts.
As the skies opened up over the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, both sides started the match on a positive note, eyeing any possible slip-ups from their opposition. The slip-up did arrive and it wasn’t trivial either.
Suresh Singh Wangjam brought down Odisha FC’s creator-in-chief Victor Rodriguez just outside the Bengaluru FC box in the 22nd minute as the referee was quick to award a free-kick.
Mauricio stepped up to preside over the dead-ball situation and whipped in a timid effort that traveled right into the grasp of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. However, the veteran shot-stopper had a moment of lapse as the ball spilled out of his hands and crawled over the line.
Simon Grayson and Bengaluru FC were left stunned as they now trailed in the grand finale, somewhat against the run of play. However, Blues skipper Sunil Chhetri had an opportunity at the other end of the pitch to level the proceedings. Udanta Singh worked his magic down the right flank to whip in a looping ball, but Chhetri was inches away from troubling the net.
The Juggernauts were switched on and piled on Bengaluru FC’s misery as the minutes rolled by. Victor was once again in the thick of things as he pelted in a curling cross towards the far post. Jerry Mawihmingthanga was perfectly positioned to direct the ball into the middle with a cushioned header. Mauricio was the quickest to react and evaded his marker before nudging it into the back of the net.
Just like that, Bengaluru were trailing by two goals, Clifford Miranda’s Odisha FC were cruising to their first-ever piece of silverware. Just before the half-time whistle, the Blues had another scare when Jerry ran into the opposition box and unleashed a shot that clipped the crossbar on its way out.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the team for the spectacular victory and extended best wished for the sqwuad.
Congratulate @OdishaFC on winning their maiden #HeroSuperCup title beating @bengalurufc 2-1 in a nail biting game. May they continue their winning momentum to bring laurels for #Odisha. Wish the team all the best for future. #OdishaForSports https://t.co/RQ89zeumui
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 25, 2023
