5-star Hyderabad thrash NorthEast United to go second in ISL 2021-22 points table
Hyderabad went to second place in the ISL standings with a dominating 5-1 win over NorthEast United on Match 28 of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.
Bartholomew Ogbeche scored twice while Aniket Jadhav, Chinglensana Singh, and Javier Siveiro scored the other three goals. Laldanmawia Ralte scored the only goal for NorthEast United.
Hyderabad head coach Manolo Marquez Roca made two changes to the starting lineup from the 1-0 win against Bengaluru as Edu Garcia and Hitesh Sharma replaced the duo of Javier Siviero and Souvik Chakrabarti.
Tondonba Singh, Joe Zoherliana, and Mohammad Irshad were handed their full debuts by NorthEast United head coach Khalid Jamil who made wholesale changes to the team that lost 1-0 to high-flying Odisha in the last fixture. Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Patrick Flottman, Laldanmawia Ralte, Imran Khan, Pragyan Gogoi, and the aforementioned three debutants replaced the outgoing octet of Mirshad Michu, Provat Lakra, Mashoor Shereef, Gurjinder Kumar, Khassa Camara, Sehnaj Singh, Deshorn Brown, and Rochharzela.
The Nizams started the game on a positive note as both Asish Rai and Garcia came close to scoring within the first 10 minutes. The Hyderabad-based side eventually opened the scoring in the 12th minute when a Garica free-kick hit the goal post and allowed Chinglensana Singh to tap it home into an empty net from close range to make it 1-0.
It was the former ATK Mohun Bagan midfielder once again who created the second goal for the Nizams as he found Ogbeche with a floated delivery across the pitch. The Nigerian striker smashed it home past Roy Chowdhury in goal in the 27th minute with a clean finish from a tight angle to make it 2-0 for Hyderabad.
Gogoi had a shot blocked by Asish Rai as the Highlanders tried to get a goal of their own after VP Suhair set up the Assamese midfielder for a finish in the 29th minute. Hernan Santana also came close to scoring for his team but his shot from point-blank range was saved excellently by Laxmikant Kattimani in the 41st minute.
Laldanmawia Ralte scored the only goal for NorthEast United
The constant pressure and the determination to equalize got the Guwahati-based side back into the back in the final few minutes of the second half. In the 43rd minute, Laldanmawia Ralte scored from a pinball situation to make it 2-1 at the cusp of half-time after the Hyderabad defense made a mess of the clearance inside their own penalty area.
Jamil’s team continued to deliver crosses and long balls into the dangerous areas at the start of the second half but Hyderabad managed to sustain the pressure from last season’s semi-finalists before scoring three goals in quick succession to kill the match.
Ogbeche scored a stunning goal from long-range as he drove in a belter to catch out the veteran custodian in goal to make it 3-1 in the 78th minute. Substitute Aniket Jadhav added a fourth goal in the 90th minute as he was set up for the strike with a delicate touch from fellow substitute Joel Chianese.
Hyderabad scored the fifth and final goal of their NorthEast United rout as yet another substitute in Javier Siverio scored in additional time heading it past Subhasish by connecting firmly to a cross by Aaren D’Silva.
NorthEast United had a good match as the 5-1 scoreline didn’t reflect the fightback and the organization of Jamil’s team during the match despite making 8 changes to the starting XI. But, Hyderabad scored three past them in the last 15 minutes to run out 5-1 winners earning the second position in the ISL standings with 10 points from 5 matches while the Highlanders stay tenth with 4 points on board from their 6 matches so far.
Hyderabad will now face Goa on Saturday while NorthEast United will test their luck against fellow strugglers East Bengal on Friday.