Late goals by Mariners hands HFC a 0-2 defeat

Hyderabad FC’s tough time in the Indian Super League continued this weekend as the Nawabs went down fighting to Mohun Bagan in a thrilling encounter at the Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.

Brandon Hamil (85’) opened the scoring late in the game after a flurry of chances at either end went begging. Asish Rai sealed the three points from the Mariners with a late strike (90+8’) to give them the fifth win of the season.

Earlier this week, the Mariners suffered a 5-2 defeat at home to Odisha FC in the AFC Cup. While continental tests are always difficult, the character of this setback versus an Indian opponent must have been eye-opening for Juan Ferrando and his team.

Joe Knowles, Mohammad Yasir, Petteri Pennanen, Makan Chothe and Joao Victor all had moments of brilliance in the final third but after battling hard for 85 minutes, Hyderabad were unlucky to concede from two defensive lapses.

Gurmeet Singh pulled out three superb saves while Nim Dorjee Tamang, Mark Zothanpuia, Nikhil Poojary, Chinglensana Konsham and Sahil Tavora stuck to their defensive duties in a solid display for most of the game.

As the game went, the sheer, indisputable quality bursting through the Mohun Bagan Super Giant ranks began to come to the fore, with former Hyderabad star Asish Rai initiating many aggressive movements. The Mariners’ perseverance paid off, first with Sahal releasing another one of his razor-sharp through passes to assist Brendan Hamill’s maiden goal for his club, and then with Rai finally having his moment of significance against Hyderabad.

Thw loss leaves HFC at the bottom of the league table, with three points from eight games. They will look to turn things around when they take on NorthEast United at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, December 10.