Defending champions Hyderabad FC registered a comprehensive victory over Marco Balbul’s NorthEast United. Indian winger Halicharan Narzary was the star of the game, with a goal and an assist to his credit.
Both teams looked to start the game well after disappointing results in their opening games. There was not much to split between the two sides in terms of possession in the first half as both teams got high up the pitch. The difference was, however, Bartholomew Ogbeche, who put an easy chance into the North East United net. As such, the Nigerian veteran scored his first goal of the season.
Right winger Mohammed Yasir supplied Ogbeche with the ball, and the Nigerian made no mistake, rifling it in. Neither side was shy of shooting in the game, as there were a total of 30 shots registered across 90 minutes. At the half-time whistle, the game was still very open, and it was only after the commencement of the second half that the defending champions really took control of the encounter.
Ogbeche, who was by a fair margin the top scorer in the previous edition of the tournament, drew a foul in the penalty area but failed to convert the spot kick, as he sent in a poorly taken shot into Arindam Bhattacharya’s gloves. The goalkeeper had a good game, making seven saves in the contest, and was perhaps the reason his side did not lose by a bigger margin.
A short period in the second half in which the NEUFC defenders switched off was enough to cause their downfall. Halicharan Narzary made wonderful use of the wide areas to get on the scoresheet in the 69th minute. Four minutes later, he provided an assist for Borja Herrera. As a result, Hyderabad walked away with an important win away from home.
