Indian Super League: Hyderbad FC win in the final against Kerala Blaster

During the 120 minutes of football against the Kerala Blasters in the finals on Sunday, there was no winner.

Only three seasons old, Hyderabad came last in their first ISL season and missed the playoffs by two points the previous year.

However, it was the shootouts in which the Hyderabad FC proved their worth.

Their strikers, and especially the goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani scored and saved three goals to take their team to the summit in this season of ISL.

Hero ISL 2022 finals: Highlights

The match began with both teams struggling to put together passes and shifting the momentum of the match towards their side.

However, it was the Kerala Blasters that were leading from the front and putting pressure on Hyderabad. A shot from Kerala’s striker almost sunk into the nets in the 39th minute, but it couldn’t do so after hitting the goal post.

After much delay, Kerala’s 22-year-old Rahul KP scored the first goal of the match in the 68th minute of the match. The goalkeeper could only touch the ball, but the power of the shot made it to reach the back of the nets.

This led the Kerala Blasters into believing that they were winning the finals, but Sahil Tavora from Hyderabad FC came to save the day.

He scored a crucial goal in the 88th minute of the match to equalize the Kerala Blasters and send the match into extra time.

The game was extended to 120 minutes, but both teams were unable to score as the finals went into a thrilling penalty shootout stage.

This is where Hyderabad FC Goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani proved his mettle and made golden saves against the Kerala Blasters.

In the shoot-out, Hyderabad FC defeated Kerala 3-1 after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time and extra time.

Ayush Adhikari scored Kerala's only goal in the shoot-out as Joao Victor, Khassa Camara, and Halicharan Narzary were all on target for Hyderabad FC as the Kerala Blasters saw their chances of repeating the spectacles of 2014 and 2016 slip away. 

Hyderabad FC Players react to the win

Star of the day, Goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani, spoke to the media and detailed what it felt like to win the title. "It was my dream to win, and today I am happy for the whole team. Sahil scored a great goal and we came back into the match. All credit goes to Manolo. He always told us to play compact and today, we have won the title."

Hyderabad FC’s Joao Victor also praised the opposition’s efforts while celebrating their own, "I think it was a good match to watch. Kerala is a very good opponent but we deserve this win. Last year, we came close but we are happy to win the title this year. The feeling of winning the final in front of the fans is amazing."

Akash Mishra from Hyderbad called it the best moment of his life-"It feels amazing. I cannot describe the emotions right now. It is the best moment of my life."