And that' all the action we have from the Kanteerava Stadium. It was a cracker of a contest where both sides create plenty of chances, but it was another masterful set-piece combination that saw Nishu Kumar score a belter of a goal and steer Bengaluru to the win.
The defending ISL champ now takes its tally to 28 points from 15 games and to the second spot on the ISL 2019-20 table, while Hyderabad remains at the bottom.
90+4' Kilgallon is shown a yellow card for an off the ball altercation with Dimas and that's the last piece of action from the game. Bengaluru FC rides on Nishu Kumar's screamer to beat Hyderabad FC 1-0.
90+1' What a save from Gurpreet! Some terrific team play sees Colaco bear down on the goal and she shoot to the right, but Gurpreet makes a match-winning save to deny him. Colaco was felled by Khabra just before he took the shot and could have easily won a penalty had he gone down!
90' The fourth official has signalled for four minutes of added time. Enough time for one more goal?
89' Perdomo denied by the post AGAIN! Kattimani spills an easy save and it falls kindly for the Spanish striker. His shot beats the 'keeper, but it finds the upright once again. The right post has essentially made two goal-saving stops against Perdomo tonight!
88' You cannot count Hyderabad out just yet as Robin Singh struck a stoppage-time equaliser the last time these two side clashed!
86' Chhetri appears to be substituted for Semboi Haokip, but looks like BFC boss Carles Cuadrat has changed his mind. Suresh Wangjam is taken off for Haokip instead.
84' Squandered. Perdomo plays a weighted pass to Nishu in the box and the fullback takes it on his weaker foot, but its a terrible attempt and rolls away for a goal kick.
82' Gurpreet is eying his ninth clean sheet of the season, while Hyderabad is out to claim its first away point. Eight minutes to go!
80' Dimple nearly makes an immediate impact as he fires a screamer from 30 years out, but it whizzes past the post.
79' Final change for Hyderabad as Dimple Bhagat comes on for Marcelinho.
78' That's our seventh booking of the evening - Juanan gets a yellow.
77' Denied by the post! Dimas curls in a fine corner and Paaratlu gets a head to it and it finds Perdomo on the far post. The Spaniard connects well, but his strike rattles the post and it remains 1-0 to BFC.
73' Hyderabad has scored a majority of its goals this season in the last quarter of play. Will we see a late goal from the visiting side today?
71' Second change of the evening for Hyderabad - Ashish Rai is taken off for Liston Colaco.
70' It's Ashique vs Adil again and it's the Bengaluru attacker who wins the duel again. Adil makes a rash tackle and gets a booking and the home side now has a free-kick from a dangerous position.
68' Aaaaaashique! He outruns Adil and Kilgallon and is 1v1 with the 'keeper, but his finish is poor as it floats wide of the target.
65' First change of the evening for Hyderabad as Nestor Gordillo comes in for Barnes.
64' And that's the end of Brown's game. BFC's latest signing Nili Perdomo makes his debut.
59' It just isn't Brown's night, is it? Gurpreet takes along goal-kick and Chhetri wins the initial header to lay it up for Brown. The Jamaican does well to get into position, but stumbles on the turf and his meek attempt sails above the crossbar.
58' Chance for Hyderabad here as Marcelinho crafts a fine cross, but Yasir's header floats just wide of the upright.... and Yasir goes into the ref's book for a foul on Dimas.
57' Nishu lets one rip from distance, but can't beat Kattimani. The Hyderabad 'keeper gets a tad lucky as the ball clatters against his foot and could have easily sneaked into the goal!
56' Adil Khan has pulled up with what seems like a hamstring pull! Hopefully it's nothing serious.
55' Brown ought to have done better there. Dimas plays a great through ball and Brown has just the 'keeper to beat, but Kattimani races off his line to block his shot. That was a golden chance for Brown to double Bengaluru's lead.
53' We have our first change of the evening - Ashique Kuruniyan comes on for Udanta.
50' Hyderabad has had to come back from behind on each occasion it has won a point this season. And the side has began the second half with a renewed sense of confidence, seeing a lot more of the ball than the home side.
46' There's the fourth booking of the game - Dimas Delgado picks up a yellow.
46' KICK OFF!
45+2' Giles Barnes is shown a yellow card and with that we come to the end of the opening half. Nishu Kumar's rasping volley in the seventh minute is all that separates the two sides at the interval.
45' Oooooh, that was close. Bengaluru breaks on the counter and Udanta has a go at the goal. He fires a half volley from the centre of the box and it strikes Adil Khan on the arm, but the ref sees no penalty there. Would have been a harsh penalty if awarded for sure.
43' Chance for Chhetri! Udanta Singh makes a scorching run down the right flank and he squares it for Chhetri, but the Bengaluru skipper's side-footed attempt floats well wide of the goal.
39' Brown picks his spot, but can't beat the 'keeper. Paartalu sets it up and the Jamaican striker tries to curl it into the bottom corner, but Kattimani does well to deny him.
37' Hyderabad looking a lot better now. The passing has become a lot better and the side seems to have put behind the disappointment of the missed penalty.
35' Promising move from Hyderabad as Marcelinho is released down the left. He controls it well and fires a powerful drive. but Gurpreet is up to the challenge and makes a strong save. The rebound falls to Bobo, but he struggles to get a shot off.
30' It's been a very eventful last five minutes -
- Marcelinho made the most of a challenge, outside the box, to win a penalty
- Nishu is wrongly booked
- Gurpreet saves Stankovic's penalty
- Khabra picks up a yellow
27' So the yellow stays....Nishu has been booked. Not entirely sure why though. And as I type this Harmanjot Khabra picks up a yellow for shoving Marcelinho. Khabra will miss the next game owing to an accumulation of cards.
26' SAVED! Gurpreet goes the right way - he dives to his right to comfortable save Stankovic's penalty and gets up in time to save the second attempt too. Top save from India's top 'keeper.
25' We're still waiting for the penalty as the referee has gone ahead and booked the wrong player! Tejas Nagvenkar has booked Nishu Kumar instead of Suresh Wangjam!
23' Penalty to Hyderabad? It indeed is! Suresh Wangjam fouls Marcelinho at the edge of the box and the ref points to the spot. Marko Stankovic to take the spot-kick.
20' Paartalu is lucky not to be booked here. He makes a rather unnecessary challenge on Bobo, right under the ref's nose, which could have easily attracted a booking. Paartalu is already on three yellows and a fourth would see him face a one match suspension.
19' Ashish Rai whips in a powerful cross into the box towards Marcelinho, and a touch from the latter would have seen Gurpreet in a spot of bother, but it's not meant to be.
14' Half a chance for Deshorn Brown as his sliding tackle directs the ball towards the bottom corner, but Kattimani has it covered.
12' Hyderabad's captain Marcelinho has barely had a touch so far, has he? He's remained almost invisible in the opening quarter of play. Remember, Marcelinho has never scored against Bengaluru!
9' It's end to end action here as Hyderabad launches an attack. Poojary wins the ball and works his way into the attacking third. The defenders don't seem to be in a hurry to stop him and he strikes a curling attempt with his left foot, but narrowly misses the top corner.
7' GOAAAAAAAL! WHAT A SCREAMER FROM NISHU! Bengaluru scores from another set-piece and this is a truly stunning goal. Dimas Delgado floats in a corner into the centre of the box and Nishu races in to unleash a powerful volley that busts the net. That's got to be a top contender for goal of the season for sure.
5' Bengaluru has made a couple of neat moves in the opposition half, while Nikhil Poojary has been Hyderabad's best player so far. He's made a couple of darting runs down the right and has been impressive.
2' Chhetri with the first attempt on goal! The BFC skipper twists and turns and has a go at the goal, but it is a routine save for Kattiamani.
1' KICK OFF!
7:25pm: Did you know? Marcelinho has never scored against Bengaluru FC! Can the Brazilian inspire Hyderabad to an upset win today or will Bengaluru claim its eighth win of the season? All answers in five minutes from now!
7:20pm: FC Goa went to the top of the ISL table with a win over Odisha FC on Wednesday, but Bengaluru can surge to the second spot with a win this evening. Hyderabad, though, is well out of the play-off race and is essentially playing for pride.
7:10pm: Bengaluru's new addition Deshorn Brown looked impressive in the last game and will start tonight as well, while latest arrival Nili Perdomo makes the bench. Hyderabad's new signing Souvik Chakrabarti has not been named in the squad.
6:50pm: Some interesting stats ahead of the clash:
- Bengaluru has conceded the least goals this season (9), while Hyderabad has let in the most (32)
- Hyderabad is winless in its last 11 matches, while Bengaluru slipped to two losses in its last five games
- Hyderabad has not won a single point in away games this year
6:40pm: Robin Singh had struck a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Bengaluru FC the three points the last time the two sides clashed. Here's how that game went down -
6:30pm: Here's how the two teams will start tonight:
Bengaluru FC - Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Albert Serran, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra, Nishu Kumar, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Suresh Wangjam, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri (C), Deshorn Brown.
Hyderabad FC - Laxmikant Kattimani (GK), Sahil Panwar, Matthew Kilgallon, Mohammed Yasir, Asish Rai, Adil Khan, Marko Stankovic, Nikhil Poojary, Giles Barnes, Marcelo Pereira (C), Bobo.
MATCH PREVIEW
On paper it appears a mismatch, but Bengaluru FC can ill-afford complacency when it meets bottom-placed Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday.
Third in the table on 27 points, the host will look to build on an impressive win against Odisha FC in the last game and keep up the chase for the coveted AFC Champions League spot which is reserved for the league topper.
RELATED|
Hyderabad, on the other hand, has endured a nightmarish campaign, winning just once in 14 games. Only an injury-time equaliser against Mumbai City FC in the previous match snapped its run of four successive defeats.
Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat, though, remained wary: “When we faced Hyderabad FC earlier in the season, it was a draw,” he said. “They were placed bottom then, but fought till the very end and made it difficult. They have made some changes to the way they play and as we saw last week against Mumbai, they are still fighting. So tomorrow’s game will be a tough one,” he added.
RELATED|
Cuadrat confirmed that new signing Nili Perdomo was available for selection but Bengaluru will miss the services of Raphael Augusto and Rahul Bheke, as they continue to recover from injuries. However, the Catalan can take heart from striker Deshorn Brown’s performance against Odisha which gave the team some much needed firepower up top.
The match can be viewed live on Star Sports 2 and 2 HD from 7.30 pm, while Hotstar will provide live streaming online.
Comments
SHARE