Hyderabad FC managed to salvage a point against defending champion Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) game on Friday at the Gachibowli stadium. A late Robin Singh goal ruined Bengaluru's night after it had led for almost 90 minutes through a Sunil Chhetri opener after just 110 seconds. However, the draw still keeps the home team Hyderabad at the bottom of the pile. On the other hand, Bengaluru is second on goal difference, behind ATK.
Here are the key facets of an eventful match in Hyderabad.
Chaotic first two minutes lead to the Sunil Chhetri goal
The home team started the game in terrible fashion. It kept dispossessing the ball right from the beginning and paid the price just 110 seconds after the kick-off.
Hyderabad skipper Kamaljit Singh received a back pass from one of his defenders. Bengaluru winger Udanta Singh was rushing towards the keeper. So Kamaljit quickly passed the ball to Laldanmawia Ralte, who committed a miserable error by handing the ball straight to Chhetri.
Match highlights | Hyderabad FC 1 - 1 Bengaluru FC, As it Happened
The Indian national football team captain calmly slotted the ball past the Hyderabad shotstopper to bag his third goal in as many games.
Super-subs Robin and Ashish earn a point for the home side
Phil Brown was desperate for a turnaround after Sahil Panwar's untimely red card. A minute after the dismissal the Hyderabad coach brought in Ashish Rai for Ralte, who had a below-par game.
After no change in the scoreline following 80 minutes, Brown decided to replace defender Rafael Gomez Lopez with a forward in Robin Singh, whose perfect finish earned Hyderabad a draw.
These two changes made the difference in the end. Ashish was a livewire for the entire duration. During the second-half stoppage time, his initial shot was not collected well by Bengaluru custodian Gurpreet Singh, leading to Robin's equaliser.
Sahil Panwar takes a red card for the team
Despite making a silly challenge on Udanta Singh, Sahil denied Bengaluru a second goal. Hyderabad was caught off guard during an attack and the Bengaluru counter-attack was on.
Match report | Late Robin Singh goal frustrates Bengaluru in Hyderabad
Ashique Kuruniyan collected the ball and sprinted forward evading several opposition players. He passed the ball forward to a swift Udanta Singh who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
However, he was fouled by Sahil during a certain goal-scoring opportunity for the visitor. The referee didn't hesitate to send off the Hyderabad man for his miserable tackle. But at the end of the day, if Sahil hadn't done that, Bengaluru might have run away with the game.
A penalty denied for Bengaluru in the first-half
Bengaluru completely dominated the first half. The Hyderabad defence was struggling to match the pace of the likes of Udanta, Chhetri, Raphael Augusto and Ashique.
But an unlikely source almost assisted the second goal for the visitor. Harmanjot Khabra moved into the box after receiving a pass from midfield. Just when he was about to cross the ball, Gurtej Singh put in a sliding tackle to clear the ball out for a corner.
But the Hyderabad defender looked to have handled the ball in the process. The referee, however, waved his hand off much to the frustration of coach Carles Cuadrat and the Bengaluru players.
If the decision had been given in favour of Bengaluru, Hyderabad would have had little chance to mount a comeback.
The defending champion's elite players miss a host of chances
Leaving aside the penalty claim, Bengaluru still had plenty of chances to seal the game but the finishing from its elite players left plenty to be desired.
Augusto and Udanta attempted many shots but most were off target. Even skipper Chhetri had a few chances, apart from the goal, but none found the back of the net.
The visiting side could have easily scored five or six goals but having missed a host of clear-cut chances, it had to be content with a solitary point.
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