Durand Cup 2022: Bengaluru FC beats Odisha FC 2-1 to secure a semifinal spot

Within the regulation time, Leon Augustine in the 97th minute and Roy Krishna in the 120+1st minute were the goalscorers for Bengaluru FC. In contrast, in the 115th minute, Mauricio Diego was the goal scorer for Odisha FC.

The first half had a cagey start as neither side failed to take complete control of the game. Odisha FC got two opportunities to gain the lead but squandered them away. 

First in the eighth minute when Diego Mauricio’s shot went off target and second in the 11th minute when Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Sandhu halted Nandhakumar’s strike.

The second half went similarly to the first one as both sides failed to score goals. Bengaluru FC defender Sandesh Jhingan got the opportunity to score in the 64th minute, but he could not make a proper connection.

Bengaluru FC got another golden opportunity in the 76th minute after Leon Augustine won another free kick. Milan Jovanović found himself with a free header on Javi’s freekick but unfortunately headed it off target. 

The 90 minutes of mistake-filled regulation time ended goallessly, and the match was sent into extra time. Bengaluru FC finally got a breakthrough in the 97th minute when Faisal took control of the ball on the left flank and lifted a cross to Leon Augustine.

The 23-year-old Kozhikode native took control and slotted the ball into the net with a powerful left-footed strike. Odisha FC launched a counterattack with a ten-man squad in the 103rd minute. Aussie Osama took the shot, but Bengaluru FC saved it in a moment of goalkeeping brilliance.

However, Odisha FC finally equalized the score just before half-time when Mauricio Diego headed the ball into the net off a Raynier freekick.

It looked like the match was about to be forced into penalties. However, an unmarked Roy Krishna curled an explosive left-footed strike with just seconds left in the game to seal the victory for Bengaluru FC.