Hyderabad 1-1 Odisha: Narzary, Alexander score to cancel each other

Hyfdrerabad FC

It was yet another draw in the Hero Indian Super League as Hyderabad FC, and Odisha FC played out a 1-1 draw in the Fatorda Stadium. The Nizams went ahead early in the match, but the Juggernauts came back with a wonderful strike in the second half.

Hyderabad FC was in good form of late and even held off league toppers Mumbai City FC in their last match from scoring, resulting in a goalless draw. Today they were facing the bottom place Odisha FC. The Juggernauts had hit horrid form of late and were unable to keep any momentum going. Another problem for them was that they were overly dependent on their Brazilian forward, Diego Mauricio for scoring.

It was a 13th-minute beauty from Liston Colaco that gave Halicharan Narzary an easy chance to score. Adriane Santana‘s header unleashed the young Liston Colaco who perfectly timed his run and blazed past the Odisha FC defence line. His incredible pace was too good for the Juggernauts. He then laid forth a pass for Halicharan to finish and he did not disappoint. The Nizams gained an early lead, and the Odisha defence line just seemed listless.

There were no goals to be seen in the remainder of the first half although Hyderabad FC wreaked havoc throughout- attempts after attempts and continuously hitting the woodworks. 

The second half began with the Nizams picking up where they had left off. Then, out of the blue, Orisha FC picked up the equalizer. It was captain Cole Alexander‘s 51st-minute goal that brought the Juggernauts back in the game. Diego Mauricio held his marker and made a pass towards Cole Alexander just outside the box. He hit it the first time before going down and Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani did not attempt a save, as the ball crept into the goal. He probably thought the ball was going wide, but this mistake let Odisha FC back into the game. Suddenly, they had their tails up and began creating chances. 

Rakesh Pradhan‘s brilliant cross towards Jerry Mawihmingthanga was wasted as Jerry couldn’t hit the target. One of the brightest performances came from Akash Mishra, who cleared some of the on-shot bullets. At 74th minute, he headed the ball away from the goal line to keep the scores levelled for Hyderabad FC. 

Hero of the Match: Cole Alexander

The Hero of the Match award was befittingly awarded to Cole Alexander for his equalizer and tireless play in the midfield for the Odisha FC. The DHL Winning Pass of the Match went to Liston Colaco for his beautiful assist.

The two teams fought hard, but the match ended with nothing to differentiate between them. Hyderabad FC played some excellent football and dominated the first half whereas the second half saw their fortunes change. The Juggernauts suddenly began to look dangerous as their captain Cole Alexander scored the equalizer and boosted his team’s morale. They would like their performance this evening and attempt to take this forward with them to their next match against a strong Bengaluru FC on January 24th. The Nizams, too, would want to make fewer mistakes, especially some potential howlers from goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani. They take on Jamshedpur FC in their upcoming match on January 24th.