NorthEast United FC were battered 0-5 by Hyderabad FC in the second leg of the Indian Super League (ISL) on Monday. The Highlanders and the Nizams clashed off in match no. 77 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Stadium in Fatorda.
The last encounter between the two sides ended with the Highlanders at the receiving end of a 5-1 thrashing. This match was not too different either.
Manolo Marquez's side got an early break when Joel Chianese swung in a corner which was initially headed back. Joel received the ball and sent in a cross that touched Joao Victor's head and hit the post. Bartholomew Ogbeche met the rebound and turned it in. Patrick Flottmann was marking the Nigerian striker but he was unable to do anything at this point.
The Highlanders tried to hit back but were victims of Hyderabad FC's pace and defensive transitions. Manolo Marquez's side were swift in their movement. They managed to get into attacking positions and turn to defending very quickly.
Nikhil Poojary and Aniket Jadhav were nightmares for Provat Lakra and Gurjinder Kumar. Their pace and on-the-ball movement were too much for NorthEast United FC's defenders.
Hyderabad FC got their second of the match just before the end of the first 45 minutes. Joel Chianese took a corner from the left side that was met by Akash Mishra to score. It was the second goal in two matches for the left wing-back.
Check out the ISL winners list here.
Hyderabad FC shine for a second time at the expense of NorthEast United FC
The Nizams started the second half strongly. Meanwhile, Khalid Jamil's were unable to progress beyond the middle third on most occasions. VP Suhair and Marcelinho seemed to be the most impactful players for the side. But the two were outmuscled and outnumbered on most occasions.
The Nizams scored their third goal in the 60th minute with Ogbeche on the scoresheet again. His strike partner Joel sent in a ball that was cleared by the Highlanders custodian. Joel then sneaked the ball in for the waiting Ogbeche. The Nigerian striker headed the ball low and the entire NorthEast United FC defense could not stop it.
That goal made him the all-time top scorer in the tournament with 49 goals.
Manolo Marquez made some substitutions to change the approach tactically. Sahil Tavora was introduced in place of Sauvik Chakrabarti while Javier Siverio replaced Bartholomew Ogbeche.
Sahil's introduction to the match was in the form of an assist he provided to Nikhil Poojary on the counter. Sahil passed the ball towards his right where Nikhil Poojary was free. The winger combined power and placement to score the fourth goal of the game.
Joel was taken off to be replaced by Edu Garcia, who scored the fifth of the game. Javier Siverio got the ball and made a run towards the box to lure Patrick Flottmann. Edu Garcia made a run inside and Javier passed the ball after spotting the run. Subhasish Roy tried to close the space but was unable to stop the shot.
With this result, Hyderabad FC extended their lead at the top of the ISL table to four points.