Hyderabad, Feb 14 (IANS) A lone goal win against ATK Mohun Bagan helped to defend champions Hyderabad FC on Tuesday cement their hold on the second spot on the points table and a place in the semifinals of the ISL 2022-23 season here.
The win at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium over ATK Mohun Bagan moved Hyderabad to 39 points from 12 wins from 18 matches.
ATK Mohun Bagan are in fourth place and will look to stay in the top half of the table by winning their remaining games.
Manolo Marquez’s men continued to march ahead as Bartholomew Obeche’s 86th-minute winner sealed victory for them on Tuesday. Ogbeche scored his eighth goal of the season, as Hyderabad registered three more points and moved to 39 points from 18 games. This victory also ensured that Hyderabad will finish the 2022-23 campaign in the 2nd place.
It was a pretty balanced game in terms of chances in the first half with both sides having equal chances.
Both sides started with the second half well, but the deadlock was finally broken at the very end in the 86th minute by Ogbeche.
ATK Mohun Bagan came back strongly in the remaining time towards the end but just couldn’t find the net. They will be pretty upset, as they have just managed to get a point in their last three games. They will need to bounce back and win their remaining games.
Hyderabad started the game on the front foot, with Javi Siverio’s strength and Joel Chianese’s pace causing the Mariners to drop deep early in the game. But neither team managed to carve out clear chances, as both goalkeepers were fairly untroubled for the first 45 minutes.
But after the break, Manolo’s men stepped on the gas and managed to win the ball back in dangerous areas. Hyderabad won free-kicks and started to put the ATKMB defense under pressure, but it was Ogbeche, who came off the bench, that sealed the deal for HFC.
The ISL’s leading goalscorer added another to his tally, as he dummied past Slavko Damjanovic and found the corner to beat Vishal Kaith in the 86th minute.
The likes of Akash Mishra, Nikhil Poojary, Chinglensana Konsham and Odei Onaindia stuck to their task and managed to frustrate the visitors for most of the game. Gurmeet Singh had a couple of crucial saves to make, as Hyderabad held on to their clean sheet and took home all three points.
–IANS
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