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Tag: HFC

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Hyderabad FC, ATKMB face-off in big clash at Fatorda

Goa: After seeing off 2021 with a resounding 6-1 victory over Odisha FC, Hyderabad FC are back in action in the Indian Super League for the first time in the new year when they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in an away game at Fatorda on Wednesday.

Currently 2nd in the league table, HFC have 15 points from eight games while ATKMB has 14 points from their eight games and stand in the 4th position, making this game a crucial one for either side as three points takes the winner to the summit.

After a strong start to the campaign, ATKMB had a tough run of results. A change in leadership followed when they roped in Juan Ferrando from Goa after their clash against Hyderabad. The Spaniard is into this third game as the coach of the Kolkata-based side and HFC Head Coach Manolo Marquez believes that he will take time to implement his system at ATKMB.

“Juan Ferrando is a very good coach, but he has just arrived at the club. He has had more time to work with the team now and he will try to change something but at the moment, they are similar to their time under the previous coach,” said Manolo.

“Ferrando will try to change the style but this takes time. ATKMB are a big team and for sure, they will fight for the title,” he added.

The Mariners have the likes of Liston Colaco, Hugo Boumous, Roy Krishna and Manvir Singh in fine form in front of goal. Pritam Kotal, Tiri and Carl McHugh add balance to the side and will be a tough team to face on Wednesday.

“When you play against strong teams, every detail is important. Liston, Roy Krishna, Manvir, Williams are all dangerous players in open play and set-pieces,” said Manolo.

“But we have to control the game and try to stick to our style of play. We cannot go to the game and try to defend these players and wait for that one chance. We have to stick to our style and play at our best,” he added.

The HFC Head Coach also revealed that Halicharan Narzary remains the only player sidelined for this game with the injury. ATK Mohun Bagan has no new injury issues to worry about either, ahead of this clash.

Speaking about the game, Manolo Marquez further added, “ATKMB are a strong side but we cannot change our style for this game. Both teams will have chances to win and we will give our best.”

The hosts are fresh from back-to-back wins over FC Goa and NorthEast United and will be high on confidence going into this game. Meanwhile, Hyderabad FC is also in good form, and are unbeaten in their last seven league games, while they also have the best defence in the league at this stage.

Bartholomew Ogbeche will look to add to his goals to take back the lead in the ISL Golden Boot race while former HFC player Liston Colaco will want to keep up his form and continue to lead the charts for Indian goal scorers this season.

The game kicks off at 7:30 pm IST on Wednesday and will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network with live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.

 

Hyderabad held to 1-1 draw by East Bengal

Hyderabad FC put in another strong performance at Bambolim but managed to secure only a single point from their tricky clash against SC East Bengal on Thursday. This was HFC’s third stalemate of the season and their second in as many games.

Amir Dervisevic (20’) was on the scoresheet for the visitors while Bart Ogbeche (35’) was back among the goals for Manolo Marquez’s side on a tough night at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.

With this point, Hyderabad moves to 2nd place in the Indian Super League points table, three points adrift of Mumbai City at the top of the pile.

Having made a couple of changes to his side, both at the back, Hyderabad started slowly and failed to find a foothold early in the game.

A giveaway in the middle of the park and a foul just outside the box gave the visitors their first real chance on goal. And Dervisevic made no mistake as his thumping freekick was too good for Laxmikant Kattimani on goal.

But after the drinks break Hyderabad found some momentum and finally scored the equalizer. Aniket Jadhav’s inch-perfect cross saw Bart Ogbeche rise high and finish in style. This was the Nigerian star’s sixth goal of the season, as he increased his lead at the top of the goal scoring charts in this season’s Indian Super League.

Hyderabad continued to press for a winner on either side of the break, with Sahil Tavora, Aaren D’Silva and Javi Siverio introduced into the game. Manolo also gave Abdul Rabeeh an Indian Super League debut in search of a late winner but his side could not find the back of the net till the final whistle.

Aaren, Aniket and Nikhil Poojary all had a few half-chances that they failed to convert while Kattimani at the other end remained relatively untroubled apart from a few set-piece situations.

Rabeeh added some impetus to the HFC attack that resulted in a couple of late corners, the second of which was almost headed in by Bart Ogbeche with what was the final kick of the game.

East Bengal managed the game, constantly slowing it down and giving HFC no chance to gather any tempo and walked away with a point. Hyderabad FC, though, extend their unbeaten run to six games and will also move back to the second place with 12 points from seven games.

Hyderabad FC is back in action when they take on Odisha FC on Tuesday, 28 December, in a home game in Bambolim.