Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC Battle to a 1-1 Draw in ISL Clash

May 5, 2026

Bengaluru, May 5: In a thrilling encounter in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26, Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC ended their match in a 1-1 draw on Monday.

Head coach Pep Muñoz was forced to make changes due to injuries to Ashik Kuruniyan and Nikhil Pujari, bringing in Shivashakti Narayanan and Ricky Miteei to the starting lineup. The revamped ‘Blues’ quickly took control of the match.

For the first 20 minutes, Bengaluru maintained over 80% possession but failed to convert that into scoring opportunities. Brian Sanchez misfired on a pass to Ryan Williams, and Shivashakti’s impressive attempt sailed over the crossbar.

As the first half progressed, Odisha began to establish their presence through counter-attacks. A remarkable defensive play in the 23rd minute saw Siroj Kujiyev sprinting in to tackle Thoiba, preventing a dangerous scoring chance.

Despite Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s valiant efforts, including a powerful leap to deny Thoiba’s close-range shot, a momentary lapse in concentration proved costly for Bengaluru.

The first goal of the match came in the 34th minute, following a poor throw-in by Noram Roshan Singh that allowed Rahim Ali to capitalize and give Odisha the lead. This was a stark contrast to Bengaluru’s earlier dominance in the game.

After halftime, the match took a different turn. Soham Varshney replaced Sunil Chhetri, and the substitution paid off immediately. Soham’s quick run into the box earned Bengaluru a penalty just minutes after his entry, which Brian Sanchez calmly converted in the 48th minute to level the score.

This sparked a period of intense pressure from Bengaluru, with the goalpost becoming Odisha’s greatest defender. In the 55th minute, during a chaotic moment, Soham’s shot was deflected to Shivashakti, who could only watch in frustration as his attempt hit the post.

In the 64th minute, the ‘Blues’ faced disappointment again when Rahul Bheke’s header from a set-piece hit the crossbar. Gurpreet had to step up once more to deny Kartik a close-range goal, and despite several late attempts from Kelvin, Sanchez, and Roshan, the match concluded with the final whistle.