It was a nail-biting end to today’s match of the Hero Indian Super League at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. A late equaliser from Hyderabad FC‘s Fran Sandaza meant that the Blues remained winless in their last eight fixtures.
It was especially disappointing for Bengaluru FC because they had the lead for the better part of the match and it was only in the injury time that the Nizams were able to pull off the equaliser and end the match 2-2.
The match began strongly for Bengaluru FC, as the Blues skipper Sunil Chhetri slotted in a Cleiton Silva corner from the left flank, just 9 minutes into the match. This early lead meant a great confidence boost on their part, as they entered the match after a slew of not so impressive performances.
After the first goal, Bengaluru FC seemed like a changed side altogether. They dominated the entire first half but with no more goals. What’s more, their defence, which erstwhile seemed very leaky and porous, brought up their A-game.
In the dying moments of the first half, Hyderabad FC launched a nice counter-attack. Liston ran down the left flank and passed to Akash Mishra, who picked Narzary at the right post to a cross. However, he missed the tap-in and a golden opportunity was lost.
The second half started with Bengaluru FC dominating the pitch as well. It was not long before they scored again, and it was Leon Augustin this time. His beautiful dribble and clinical finish saw home an excellent goalscoring opportunity and Bengaluru FC doubled their lead. It was the first goal of Leon Augustin in ISL.
But when only the match looked done and dusted, the Nizams arose and quite much they did. Aridane Santana scored a tricky chance from a close range and pulled one back for Hyderabad FC in the 86th minute.
The match went into extra time as the referee signalled 4 minutes to be added to the regulation time. Suddenly, Fran Sandaza scored a scintillating goal out of nowhere. It was a missed volley from Roland Alberg that fell in position for Fran and his shot in the second touch sealed the deal. It was a heroic moment and the Hyderabad FC fans went bonkers. The Blues couldn’t believe what just happened in the span of 10 minutes as they ended on a draw even after a commendable performance.
Hero of the Match: Aridane Santana
The award for the Hero of the Match was awarded to Aridane Santana for his brilliant comeback goal that brought them back in the game and the DHL Winning Pass of the Match was awarded to Cleiton Silva.
With this win, Hyderabad FC extends their unbeaten run to 6 matches. Now, they are at the3 4th position in the table, with 19 points from 14 matches. Hyderabad FC takes on Chennaiyin FC on the first Super Sunday fixture on the 31st of January. In the same number of matches, Bengaluru FC is at the 7th position in the table, with 15 points. They will face SC East Bengal in their next match on 2nd February.
