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Bengaluru, May 4 (IANS) Bengaluru FC’s clash against Odisha FC was a tale of territorial dominance punctuated by moments of clinical opportunism and agonizing near-misses.

Forced to adapt due to injuries to Ashique Kuruniyan and Nikhil Poojary, head coach Pep Muñoz handed starts to Sivasakthi Narayanan and Ricky Meetei, and the reshuffled Blues immediately took control. The opening 20 minutes was a masterclass in possession, with Bengaluru hogging over 80% of the ball, yet the breakthrough remained elusive as Braian Sanchez miscued a Ryan Williams lay-off and Sivasakthi fired a promising effort over the crossbar.

As the half progressed, Odisha began to find their teeth on the counterattack. A goal-saving intervention arrived in the 23rd minute when Siroj Kuziev produced a stunning recovery run and tackle to deny Thoiba in a dangerous position.

Moments later, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu proved why he remains indispensable, diving full-stretch to keep out a thunderous near-post strike from Thoiba. Despite Gurpreet's heroics, which included a sharp save from a Rahim Ali long-range effort, a momentary lapse in concentration proved costly. In the 34th minute, an errant throw-in from Naorem Roshan Singh resulted in a turnover that allowed Rahim Ali to pounce and fire Odisha into a lead that ran contrary to the early run of play.

The complexion of the game shifted again at the interval with the introduction of Soham Varshneya for Sunil Chhetri. The substitution paid immediate dividends; Soham’s energetic burst into the box drew a foul within minutes of the restart, earning a penalty that Braian Sanchez calmly converted to restore parity. This ignited a frantic period of Bengaluru pressure where the woodwork became Odisha’s best defender. A 55th-minute scramble saw Soham’s effort parried into the path of Sivasakthi, who could only watch in frustration as his shot rattled the post.

The frame of the goal denied the Blues once more in the 64th minute when Rahul Bheke rose highest to meet a Siroj set-piece, only to see his header bounce off the upright. While Gurpreet was called upon once more to deny Kartik from point-blank range, the final whistle blew following a barrage of late attempts from Kelvin, Sanchez, and Roshan. Despite Bengaluru’s relentless pursuit of a winner, Odisha FC’s resolute backline held firm to ensure a high-octane encounter ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

--IANS

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