Hyderabad: After two wins in as many home games at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium, Odisha FC came up short on the road as they lost by the slimmest of margins to defending champions Hyderabad FC in their ISL-9 clash here on Saturday evening.
Hyderabad scored early through Mohammad Yasir, and managed to hold on to the 1-0 lead for 82 minutes. Halicharan Narzary dodged Denechandra Meitei on the left and sent in a cross which found an unmarked Yasir and the midfielder headed the ball home past a helpless Amrinder Singh.
Hyderabad kept up the pressure and had a couple of chances to double the lead, but Odisha’s compact defence line kept them at bay.
In the second half, Odisha FC looked more organized in the attacking third and created some opportunities. But the likes of Diego Mauricio, Nandhakumar Sekar and Jerry failed to beat the last line of Hyderabad’s defence.
Amrinder kept Odisha’s hopes alive with a brilliant diving save to deny Bartholomew Ogbeche.
However, despite enjoying equal possession and having a fair share of exchanges, Odisha failed to find the equalizer.
Hyderabad consolidated their position on top of the standings, taking their tally to 13 points in 5 games. Odisha remained in third place, with 9 points from 5 matches.
Odisha will travel to Kolkata for their next match, against East Bengal, on November 18.
