Goa: Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad FC were back to winning ways at Bambolim after a crucial 2-1 win over Bengaluru FC on Friday. Javi Siverio (16’) and Joao Victor’s (30’) first half goals were enough for HFC to bag all three points on the night even as Suni Chettri (87’) found the back of the net late in the game to add some spice to the end of the game.
Hyderabad now have 29 points after 16 games, and have equalled their tally of points for the entire previous season. They stay top of the Indian Super League table with a four-point lead over Jamshedpur FC (26 points from 14 games).
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Manolo Marquez made three changes for the night but his side were on the front foot right from the start, constantly pushing the BFC’s defense back. And Javi Siverio gave the breakthrough for Manolo’s men after the Spaniard fired home from close range at the end of a scrap 16 minutes into the game, after some smart work by Rohit Danu on the left.
Joao Victor added a second at the half-hour mark in style as he found the far-right corner with the curling effort from outside the box. Souvik Chakrabarti picked up an assist for his smart, quick freekick that gave Joao the space to let one fly.
The HFC backline was determined and did not concede too many chances, going into the break with a 2-0 lead.
The HFC Head Coach brought on the likes of Sahil Tavora, Mohammad Yasir and Joel Chianese to freshen things up as the second half wore on and it worked well as BFC were under pressure for most of the game.
Suni Chhetri did find the back of the net with a neat finish at the end of an Udanta Singh’s cross to set up a nervous end to the game. But HFC managed to see off any threats and sealed all three points on the night.
Rohit Danu and Nikhil Poojary were full of energy all night while Bart Ogbeche starred in a slightly deeper role, creating plenty of chances. Nim Dorjee, filling in at right-back for the suspended Asish Rai along with Chinglensana Konsham, Juanan and Akash Mishra were unlucky to not keep a clean sheet after a solid outing.
Laxmikant Kattimani was also effective on goal as Hyderabad registered their eighth win of the season. Joao Victor was named the ‘Hero of the Match’ on the night but it was a collective effort that keeps HFC four points clear at the summit of the league table.
Hyderabad FC return to action on Saturday, Feb 19, when they take on FC Goa at Bambolim in another exciting ISL clash.
