Hyderabad FC was without its main striker, but that didn’t matter much. The ISL side was too good for Aizawl FC in the opening match of Group B in the Super Cup football tournament here on Sunday.
Hyderabad won 2-1. Joel Chianese and Joao Victor -- from the penalty spot – scored in either half for the winner, while Ivan Veras reduced the margin for the I-League club late into the injury time.
Aizawl did put up a good fight, but that wasn’t enough against a formidable opponent that was playing without its prolific scorer Bartholomew Ogbeche. Hyderabad went on the offensive right from the beginning, and with Abdul Rabeeh, who hails from this district (Malappuram), being a constant menace on the right-wing, Aizawl’s defence was under pressure.
It was Rabeeh who set up the first goal. On a counter-attack, following a corner-kick, he sped away furiously from his own half, overcame the Aizawl defenders, and released a superb pass to a Chianese near the edge of the box. The Australian would score off a rebound; he had passed on the ball to Borja Gonzalez.
Six minutes into the second half, Hyderabad was awarded a penalty for a foul on Aaren D’Silva. Victor’s shot from the spot was an excellent one.
Aizawl’s goal came off a lovely long-ranger by Veras, but it was far too late.
Later, East Bengal and Odisha FC drew 1-1 in what was the first match in the tournament between two ISL teams. After Mobashir Rahman put the Kolkata team ahead in the first half, Nandha Kumar equalised for Odisha.
The results:
Hyderabad FC 2 (Joel Chianese 17, Joao Victor 51-pen) bt Aizawl FC 1 (Ivan Veras 90+6).
East Bengal 1 (Mobashir Rahman 38) drew with Odisha FC 1 (Nandha Kumar 73).
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