NEW DELHI
Bengaluru FC maintained their unbeaten away record, fighting back to secure a 1-1 draw against a gritty Odisha FC. In a tense encounter at the PJN Stadium, a second-half penalty from Braian Sánchez proved decisive, canceling out an early strike from Odisha’s Rahim Ali.
The match began with Bengaluru dominating possession, but it was Odisha who struck first. In the 34th minute, Lalrinfela Khiangte intercepted a throw-in and slipped a perfect pass to Rahim Ali. The forward kept his cool, slotting a low shot past goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to give the “hosts” a surprising lead. Odisha’s defense, led by Carlos Delgado, held firm under pressure to carry that advantage into the halftime break.
The momentum shifted immediately after the restart. Bengaluru substitute Soham Varshneya drew a foul in the box just two minutes into the second half, earning his side a lifeline. Braian Sánchez stepped up and hammered the penalty into the top corner, a strike so clean it earned him the Man of the Match trophy. Despite a late flurry of attacks from the Blues, Odisha goalkeeper Anuj Kumar made several vital saves to ensure the points were shared.
The result keeps Bengaluru FC in sixth place with 17 points, while Odisha FC remains near the bottom of the table in 13th. For Bengaluru, it was a story of missed opportunities and dominance without a knockout blow. Meanwhile, for Odisha, the hard-earned point provides a small bit of breathing room as they battle to climb out of the league’s danger zone.