Hyderabad FC 1-1 Bengaluru FC: 3 Reasons why the defending champions only managed a draw

Bengaluru FC spurned a flurry of chances as they stumbled their way to a 1-1 stalemate with Hyderabad FC in an ISL fixture at the Gachibowli Athletic Stadium.

The visitors began the game promisingly and surged into the lead swiftly when they capitalised on some slack defending by the hosts. Sunil Chhetri made the most of the opening as he strode into the penalty box and slotted a right-footed shot past the keeper.

The away side kept pushing and probing for the second goal for the rest of the game but it never arrived, even they were accorded a shot in the arm when Sahil Panwar was given his marching orders for a rash challenge on Udanta Singh in the 56th minute.

Ultimately, the hosts hit back in second-half stoppage time when Robin Singh pounced on a loose ball in the box to restore parity and delight the home crowd in attendance.

Here is a look at the three reasons that led to Bengaluru FC drawing 1-1 with Hyderabad FC.

3. Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh run riot on the flanks

Carles Cuadrat decided to field the effervescent attacking quartet of Ashique Kuruniyan, Chhetri, Raphael Augusto and Udanta for the trip to Hyderabad and the Spaniard was nearly vindicated in his selection as the pair of Indian wingers wreaked havoc on the flanks and caused the hosts’ rearguard all sorts of problems.

While Ashique started the game on the left-wing, Udanta manned the other flank, meaning that they offered their midfielders passing avenues on numerous occasions.

Quite often, the wingers drew the Hyderabad defenders in by coming in short and then spinning in behind. In the process, the home side were unable to track down the duo, especially considering the latter’s searing pace.

More crucially, Ashique and Udanta also undertook their fair share of defensive work as they switched adeptly with Nishu Kumar and Harmanjot Khabra respectively, whenever the full-backs forayed forward. Also, the pair was willing to press the hosts’ defenders high up the pitch, thereby forcing several mistakes.

Additionally, they set up their captain and Augusto several times with clever passes from the wings, although that eventually failed to directly contribute to a goal.

At the start of the season, Cuadrat sprung a major surprise when he preferred Ashique in an unusual full-back role. However, more recently, the Indian has been used in a more advanced position. And, if he keeps churning out such displays, he might even nail down a permanent starting spot further ahead on the pitch.

2. Hyderabad dig deep into their resilient reserves in the second half

Robin Singh popped up with the equaliser

Hyderabad FC started the game extremely tentatively and went behind after just a couple of minutes, meaning most of their pre-match plans had been thrown out of the window, courtesy a string of elementary errors.

The visitors offered them little respite throughout the remainder of the first period as they kept attacking and carving open the home side. However, Phil Brown’s men managed to stave off those threats till half-time, thereby according their manager a chance to tweak things and inspire a comeback.

However, despite starting the second half slightly better, Sahil Panwar’s red card meant that the hosts were thrown under immense strife, especially considering Bengaluru’s propensity to keep the ball brilliantly.

Yet, Hyderabad refused to wilt under pressure and they hung in there, waiting for the right opportunity to come about. And, when it eventually did in stoppage time, they ensured that it didn’t go begging as Robin made the net ripple.

Ashish Rai, who replaced Laldanmawia Ralte, looked bright throughout his short stint on the pitch and was hugely influential in the equaliser.

The former got goal-side of Nishu with an expertly-timed run and then displayed the requisite composure to take a touch and fire a shot at goal. His strike was blocked by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu but the keeper only parried it into Robin’s path.

Thus, despite being second best for a majority of the encounter, Hyderabad somehow managed to emerge with a point from the rubble. And, though Bengaluru played a huge role in the sides sharing the spoils, one would be extremely naïve to overlook the character portrayed by the hosts.

1. Bengaluru and Hyderabad shoot themselves in the foot

Bengaluru FC missed a host of chances throughout the match

The game on Friday represented a team sitting pretty in the upper trenches of the ISL table battling another languishing at the bottom, thereby painting a prospective picture of a lop-sided contest. And, for large swathes of the encounter, that seemed to be the case, until Bengaluru decided to architect their downfall.

The away side missed a whole host of chances throughout the match as they couldn’t buy a goal after scoring in the 2nd minute. They kept scything through the hosts’ defence only to fluff their lines spectacularly thereafter.

Each of Bengaluru’s forwards were guilty of misfiring with Augusto in particular, quite wasteful. The Brazilian, apart from his finishing, was perhaps the best player on the pitch. Yet, he was also unparalleled when talking about a woeful end-product. On countless occasions, his technical prowess got him into promising positions but he kept passing those up.

Even Chhetri was uncharacteristically indecisive in the final third as the visitors scored only once, despite having 23 shots on goal. And, even that opening goal was scored after some dreadful decision making by Hyderabad FC.

Kamaljit Singh inexplicably took a poor touch when being charged down by Udanta and he presented the ball to Laldanmawia. And, though the hosts recovered possession from that abysmal clearance, the Hyderabad FC winger teed up Chhetri perfectly on the edge of the box.

Thus, through the course of the encounter, both outfits tried their utmost to outdo the other in terms of shooting themselves in the foot. And, rather fittingly, neither managed to do so, meaning that a draw ultimately came to fruition.