In a blistering opening passage of play, Sreenidi Deccan put the game beyond Hyderabad FC’s reach and ensured they’d finish the tournament with no points on the board at all. It would be small consolation for Carlos Vaz Pinto, but that opening passage was the best Sreenidi Deccan have looked all season, across competitions.
The first two goals arrived within minutes of each other. Ibrahim Sissoko headed the first in from Faysal’s Shayesteh’s corner in the fifth minute of the game, rising at the far post to beat his marker. Shayesteh picked up a second assist from a second corner from the other side of the pitch. This time his outswinger was met perfectly by Eli Sabia.
If those two goals were due to lacklustre defending, then the third, in the 10th minute was a moment of brilliance. Sissoko played a brilliant soft touch pass to Lalrowmawia inside the box and the midfielder made no mistake curling a first-time shot beyond the goalkeeper’s reach. On his return from injury, Kean Lewis added a fourth before half-time, sneaking past an unaware defender to head in Rilwan Hassan’s cross.
Makan Chothe pulled one back for Hyderabad FC with a brilliant strike in the 83rd minute, but it was little consolation to end a dismal campaign.