A match which initially looked like it would see Kerala Blasters win comfortably turned the other way and Hyderabad FC pulled off a 2-1 victory in an ISL fixture at the Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.
The victory saw Hyderabad increase its total to seven points though the side stays on its current 11th rung while Blasters remained on 10th after their third straight loss.
KBFC began the match on a fast pace and sliced through the Hyderabad defence frequently through the left flank with Mohammed Aimen and Adrian Luna looking impressive.
The home side gained the lead in the 13th minute after some quick passing at the end of which Korou Singh sent a nice cross to striker Jesus Jimenez who just had to tap it in.
Blasters looked like scoring a few more after this. But Hyderabad surprised the host with the equaliser towards the end of the first half. Andrei Alba took a pass from the left from Parag Shrivas and scored with a rising shot.
The goal transformed Hyderabad. It looked confident on resumption and Edmilson Correia, who had come in the second half, almost came close to giving the visitor the lead in the 55th minute but goalkeeper Som Kumar blocked the attempt well.
K.P. Rahulโs arrival 10 minutes into the second session brought some punch into Blastersโ play as he sent some nice crosses into the box from the right. And just when the home fans thought they could smell a goal, it was Hyderabad which scored.
The visitor earned a penalty, though replays showed that defender Hormipam did not handle the ball, and Alba converted it neatly to give Hyderabad the match-winner.
The result: Kerala Blasters 1 (Jimenez 13) lost to Hyderabad FC 2 (Alba 43 & 70-pen).
Published – November 08, 2024 03:19 am IST