Guwahati: Odisha FC fought back from a disastrous first half but still went down 2-3 in their ISL clash against Northeast United (NEUFC) at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday evening.
The Highlanders were all over the Odisha FC territory from the word go, leaving the defence clueless.
Danger man Alaeddine Ajaraie was unstoppable, as he gave the home team the lead after 12 minutes of play.
The Moroccan striker doubled his tally and the team’s in the 40th minute, putting the finishing touches to a fine pass from Jithin MS. Top scorer in the league so far with 8 goals, Ajaraie has found the net in all 7 games NEUFC have played.
Trailing 0-2 at half-time, Odisha FC returned after the break with an attacking intent by bringing in Hugo Boumous and Saviour Gama for Rohit Kumar and Jerry, respectively.
Frenchman Boumous reduced the margin by scoring from a brilliant solo run at the one-hour mark.
Just when Odisha FC were getting back into the game, Amey Ranawade’s horrible mistake gave Spaniard Guillermo Fernandez the opportunity to restore NEUFC’s two-goal advantage in the 71st minute.
Odisha FC kept fighting, and were rewarded in the 83rd minute with a world-class free-kick goal by Diego Mauricio. The equaliser, though, remained elusive as Odisha FC suffered their third defeat.
The Kalinga Warriors are 8th place with 8 points from 7 matches.
Odisha FC will next face Mohun Bagan Super Giants at home on November 10.