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ISL newcomers Hyderabad FC were denied a home win by a late Jamshedpur FC equaliser at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Thursday evening.
For both the teams this match was a matter of pride. It was Jamshedpur FC’s last game on the road, and the team wanted to win it to get as high in the ISL table as possible. Newcomers Hyderabad FC desperately wanted to win their second game of the season to salvage some pride.
Eager to make the most of their last ISL 2019-20 match on home turf, the home side took the attacking initiative and rattled the post in the 4th minute itself. Adil Khan beat his marker and got a powerful header to a Marcelo Pereira corner. Fortunately for Jamshedpur FC, the ball ricocheted off the post and was successfully cleared out. After weathering that scare, Jamshedpur FC were much more solid and slowly grew into the game. Hyderabad FC, however, were strong in defence and it wasn’t until the 18th minute that they allowed Jamshedpur FC an effort on goal. Noe Acosta picked up the ball and quickly got his shot away, although it landed straight into Kattimani’s hands.
Hyderabad FC’s reply to that was lively, with the next trio of opportunities falling to them. Midfielder Marko Stankovic, winger Liston Colaco and striker Bobo all went close between the 24th and 37th minute, but none of them had the required accuracy to beat Rafique. That wasn’t the case two minutes later, however, with Nestor’s dipping effort finding its way past Rafique to hand Hyderabad the lead. The home side duly accepted it to enter the breather with a 1-0 advantage.
Hyderabad FC started the second 45 just like they ended the first, with both Marcelo and Nestor worrying Rafique just after the 50th minute mark. The home side continued their dominance in the next 20 minutes, although opportunities were at a premium. Nonetheless, Jamshedpur FC surged forward and tried their best to find the equaliser. Hyderabad, on their part, were keen on scoring more than once and adopted a counter-attacking approach as the match headed into the last 10 minutes
At the 87th minute, Jamshedpur FC got the ball inside Hyderabad FC’s goal, but the referee disallowed it for a foul on Kattimani. However, three minutes into added time, Jamshedpur FC got the goal they were craving, as Acosta’s free kick was delicately turned into goal by Sumeet Passi. That proved to the final noteworthy action of an even encounter in Hyderabad that ended 1-1.
