HYDERABAD: It was expected to be a spectacle where Hyderabad made a comeback into the collective consciousness of football fans across the country, and it proved to be exactly. Trailing 0-1 against Kerala Blasters FC, they found the back of the net twice to record their first-ever Indian Super League victory.
The 2-1 win was made possible by a penalty from Marko Stankovic and a superb free-kick from Marcelinho. Some heroics from Hyderabad FC skipper and custodian Kamaljit Singh too helped in coasting to victory.
However, from the start, the signs were not in favour of the hosts. The size of the crowd was underwhelming, even though it was Hyderabad’s first-ever home game. While Hyderabad fans seemed scattered across the expanse of GMC Balayogi Stadium, Kerala fans, also known as Manjappada, all dressed in yellow, were perched together and looked like they meant business. But that did not dampen the spirits of Phil Brown’s men.
Hyderabad gave a serious fight to Kerala from the start of the match. The ball possession percentage was almost equal for both the teams, and the hosts had five shots on target, as against their opponents’ four when the final whistle was blown.
The match started off on a slower note. Until about the 25th minute, none of the goalkeepers were tested. The match got some delayed action when two of the players on the field — Marko Stankovic and Kerala skipper Bartholomew Ogbeche — engaged, with the latter getting pulled for a foul in the 28th minute.
Kerala’s forward Rahul KP got his team ahead with a cheeky goal in the 34th minute. He evaded Hyderabad custodian Kamaljit Singh’s gloves by inches to find the back of the net.
There was not much the hosts could do in the first half, but less than ten minutes into the second half, they made amends with the help of Stankovic, who was the only scorer for Hyderabad in their first-two disastrous ISL games.
Looking ice cool and using the penalty kick to perfection in the 54th minute, Stankovic made it look easy as he scored the equaliser. But the watershed moment came in the 81st minute.
Marcelinho used his left foot to perfection, as the ball curved in just in time to evade Kerala goalkeeper Rehenesh Paramba’s gloves and almost seal the team’s victory. Post that goal, the home team did not take any risks and just waited to get home as victors.