Bhubneswar, Sep 19 (UNI) Riding on an all-round performance, Mohun Bagan Super Giants defeated a 10-man Odisha FC 4-0 in their first match of the AFC Cup 2023-24 Group D at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday.
Sahal Abdul Samad (46’), Dimitri Petratos (68’, 86’) and Liston Colaco (76’) got on the scoresheet for the away team while Odisha FC remained goalless on their AFC Cup debut.
Mohun Bagan SG dominated 58 per cent of possession in the first half. Manvir Singh, Armando Sadiku, Hugo Boumous and Dimitri Petratos worked in tandem to lead the attack for the Mariners but failed to find a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Odisha FC struggled to give the Mohun Bagan defence a hard time. Their troubles mounted when their star player Mourtada Fall was handed a second yellow card in the 42nd minute for a rough tackle on Hugo Boumous.
The second half saw Mohun Bagan capitalise on the man’s advantage with Sahal Abdul Samad’s first AFC Cup goal in the second minute. Assisted by Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad delivered a powerful shot from the centre of the box to beat Odisha captain and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh.
Odisha FC, the Super Cup champions, enjoyed a brief spell of attacking football and earned a couple of corners at the one-hour mark. However, Mohun Bagan’s backline ensured their slender lead stayed intact.
The 68th minute saw Mohun Bagan double their lead. Sahal Abdul Samad’s shot from a long distance was blocked by Amrinder Singh but Dimitri Petratos was at the spot to tap in the rebound.
Liston Colaco, who replaced Sahal Abdul Samad in the 73rd minute, made an immediate impact. His header three minutes after the arrival made it 3-0 for the Indian Super League and Durand Cup champions.
Dimitri Petratos scored his second of the night to make it 4-0 in the 82nd minute and shut the door on the chances of an Odisha FC comeback.
The AFC Cup is the second-tier Asian continental club football competition after the AFC Champions League. The two Indian football clubs will play their next match on October 2.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on Maziya SRC of Maldives in their first home game in Kolkata while Odisha FC travel to Dhaka for a game against Bashundhara Kings.
Each team in Group D will play the other three teams in a home-and-away round-robin format. The table toppers will progress to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals. UNI BDN SSP