Indian Super League: Defending champions Hyderabad climb to the top after win over Jamshedpur
Defending champions Hyderabad ended their winless streak against Jamshedpur after clinching a marginal but resounding 1-0 win over the Red Miners in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. Mohammed Yasir was the only goal scorer of the match as he successfully converted in the second half
Hyderabad FC gaining momentumHyderabad have won five games this season and further solidified its presence at the top of the table. Mohammed Yasir has now scored in two successive games for the defending champions.
After implementing four changes in their squad, the hosts took on the Red Miners. After a disappointing loss to Goa, head coach Aidy Boothroyd substituted an injured Eli Sabia with Pratik Chaudhari in defence.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/HydFCOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HydFCOfficial</a> are in 🖐️ne form this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeroISL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeroISL</a> season 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JFCHFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JFCHFC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsFootball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HyderabadFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HyderabadFC</a> <a href="https://t.co/AXWHIp50kE">pic.twitter.com/AXWHIp50kE</a></p>— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndSuperLeague/status/1590386655965614082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wellington Priori was sidelined, and Laldinpuia Pachuau was deployed at the midfield. Jay Thomas and Harry Sawyer replaced Farukh Choudhary and Ritwik Das.
The visitors decided to allow Bartholomew Ogbeche in the starting lineup in place of Borja Herrera. Although the score remained 0-0, Jamshedpur fared well in the first half.
Rehenesh TP intimidated the Hyderabad team. Meanwhile, Laxmikant Kattimani almost failed to save Daniel Chukwu's header when he bumped into Harry Sawyer and sustained an injury that kept him out of action for the remaining minutes.
Jamshedpur then called for Farukh Choudhury in the 25th minute when Laldinpuia Pachuau couldn't continue further. Before the end of the first half, Harry Sawyer took a shot from the penalty box, but due to the tight angle, it flew wide.
Hyderabad doubled their energy in the second half and scored. Halicharan Narzary attempted to pass, but instead of Ogbeche, the ball reached Peter Hartley before landing near an unmarked Mohammad Yasir.
The winger slotted it into the near post in the 48th minute. In the game's final minutes, Jamshedpur sent in substitute keeper Anuj Kumar.
Boris Singh sent a low cross to Sawyer inside the box, and the latter, positioned with his back against the goal, thumped it back to Peter Hartley, who made a decent effort to convert.
However, his low and hard kick couldn't combat Anuj Kumar's evident shot-stopping prowess. With seven minutes left, Odei Onaindia directed the ball toward Anuj Kumar.
The goalkeeper surprisingly crumbled under pressure from Ishan Pandita and tackled the ball outside the box. He was booked with yellow for the offence, but the hosts couldn't capitalise upon the consequent free-kick they received.
Hyderabad is now the first-ranked team in the rankings with 13 points. They are seven points clear of second-ranked Goa and will host the Kerala Blasters on November 19.
Jamshedpur fell to the ninth spot after losing three matches this season. Their next opponents are Chennaiyin at the Marina Arena on November 19.