Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau felt his side deserved a reward for their effort as they played out a 1-1 draw against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) fixture at the Kalinga Stadium on Monday.
Noah Sadaoui's early strike was cancelled out by Diego Mauricio as both sides were level at the break. Odisha FC went down to ten men in the second half as Sahil Panwar received his marching orders. However, despite the numerical disadvantage, the home team defended resolutely for the remainder of the game to see out a draw.
The result means that Odisha FC continue to remain a point behind sixth-placed Bengaluru FC while FC Goa move to fourth. Gombau felt that his side were the better team in the first half and stated it was difficult to get back in the game after the red card to Panwar.