12 Year Wait Ends! East Bengal Beat Odisha FC 3-2 to Win Kalinga Super Cup and Earn Place in Asia

East Bengal FC pipped Odisha FC 3-2 in extra time to win the Kalinga Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

With that East bengal ended their 12 year wait for a national trophy and will repsresent India in the AFC Champions League 2 Preliminary Stage next season.

INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

Despite both sides having multiple chances to score, neither could convert as the match ended 2-2 after regulation time and also after the end of the first half of extra-time.

Brazilian recruit Cleiton Silva struck the winner for East Bengal in the 111th minute of the match, leaving his team in a state of frenzy and the opponents shocked.

Cleiton capitalised on a mistake from the Odisha FC goalkeeper and came up with a neat finish at a crucial juncture of the match, slotting the ball into the bottom-right corner with a left-footed shot.

Odisha FC tried desperately for an equaliser in the remaining minutes but the East Bengal defence was up to the task, marking their opponents.

East Bengal deserved credit for how they went about their task after they lost Shouvik following a second yellow card of the night.

Odisha, though, also had been playing with 10 men from the 69th minute after Mourtada Fall was given the marching order following his second offence of the night.

The victorious East Bengal team will be nominated to play in the prestigious Asian Champions League 2 preliminary stage of AFC 2023-24 season.

Trailing by a goal, Odisha FC equalised when Jahouh stepped up to take a penalty and converted it from the spot in the 98th minute.

Earlier, a penalty from Saul Crespo helped East Bengal take the lead in the 62nd minute.

In the 52nd minute, an excellent through pass from Mahesh led to a fine goal by Nandhakumar Sekar as East Bengal made it 1-1 in the second half.

This was after Mauricio put Odisha FC in lead with his 39th-minute strike.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik met the team before the start of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 final as he expressed his delight in successfully hosting the tournament in Bhubaneshwar.

“It gives me immense pride to say that Odisha has successfully hosted yet another marquee tournament at the Kalinga Stadium. Being able to host as many as 16 teams simultaneously, providing them with all the facilities, also signifies that Odisha has been making positive strides in football. We aim to further strengthen our partnership with AIFF and support the football development in India,” Naveen Patnaik said.

The atmosphere at the Kalinga stadium during the match was electrifying, with the roars of the crowd reverberating throughout. Excited and enthusiastic fans of both Odisha FC and East Bengal FC added to the vibrant ambiance.

(With inputs from Agencies)