Bengaluru, Odisha eye Super Cup glory

KOZHIKODE: Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC will be involved in a war of attrition when they lock horns in the final of the Super Cup here on Tuesday.

While Bengaluru will be vying for its second Super Cup crown after winning the first edition in Bhubaneswar in 2018, Odisha will eye its maiden silverware.

Tuesday’s summit clash at the EMS Corporation Stadium will be Bengaluru’s third final of the season. BFC had lifted the Durand Cup in September last year, where it met Odisha in the quarter-final stage. Roy Krishna’s late winner made the difference in a nail-biting contest on that occasion.

Bengaluru has had its fair share of tight matches in the Super Cup. Simon Grayson’s team emerged topper in a closely-contested Group A, finishing above Sreenidi Deccan FC, Kerala Blasters FC and RoundGlass Punjab FC with five points.

In the semi-final, after keeping Jamshedpur FC at bay in the first half, Bengaluru powered through in the second with goals from Jayesh Rane and captain Sunil Chhetri.

Odisha has made a habit of coming from behind to win games recently. OFC made it to the last-four after overcoming a one-goal deficit at half-time to beat Hyderabad FC 2-1 in its third and last game in Group B.

In the semi-finals, Odisha found itself a goal down against NorthEast United FC, but S Nandhakumar’s brace turned the tie.