Tag: Nikhil (Poojary)

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Hyderabad held to 1-1 draw by East Bengal

Dec 24, 2021 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Aaren, #Aaren D’Silva, #Aniket, #Aniket Jadhav, #East Bengal, #HFC, #Hyderabad, #Javi Siverio, #Nikhil (Poojary), #Sahil Tavora

Hyderabad FC put in another strong performance at Bambolim but managed to secure only a single point from their tricky clash against SC East Bengal on Thursday. This was HFC’s third stalemate of the season and their second in as many games.

Amir Dervisevic (20’) was on the scoresheet for the visitors while Bart Ogbeche (35’) was back among the goals for Manolo Marquez’s side on a tough night at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim.

With this point, Hyderabad moves to 2nd place in the Indian Super League points table, three points adrift of Mumbai City at the top of the pile.

Having made a couple of changes to his side, both at the back, Hyderabad started slowly and failed to find a foothold early in the game.

A giveaway in the middle of the park and a foul just outside the box gave the visitors their first real chance on goal. And Dervisevic made no mistake as his thumping freekick was too good for Laxmikant Kattimani on goal.

But after the drinks break Hyderabad found some momentum and finally scored the equalizer. Aniket Jadhav’s inch-perfect cross saw Bart Ogbeche rise high and finish in style. This was the Nigerian star’s sixth goal of the season, as he increased his lead at the top of the goal scoring charts in this season’s Indian Super League.

Hyderabad continued to press for a winner on either side of the break, with Sahil Tavora, Aaren D’Silva and Javi Siverio introduced into the game. Manolo also gave Abdul Rabeeh an Indian Super League debut in search of a late winner but his side could not find the back of the net till the final whistle.

Aaren, Aniket and Nikhil Poojary all had a few half-chances that they failed to convert while Kattimani at the other end remained relatively untroubled apart from a few set-piece situations.

Rabeeh added some impetus to the HFC attack that resulted in a couple of late corners, the second of which was almost headed in by Bart Ogbeche with what was the final kick of the game.

East Bengal managed the game, constantly slowing it down and giving HFC no chance to gather any tempo and walked away with a point. Hyderabad FC, though, extend their unbeaten run to six games and will also move back to the second place with 12 points from seven games.

Hyderabad FC is back in action when they take on Odisha FC on Tuesday, 28 December, in a home game in Bambolim.

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Hyderabad takes on Chennaiyin FC in first game of 2021

Jan 4, 2021 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Anirudh Thapa and Jakub Sylvestr, #Chennaiyin, #Csaba Laszlo, #Eli Sabia, #Enes Sipovic, #Hyderabad FC, #Lallianzuala Chhangte, #Liston (Colaco), #Manolo Marquez, #Nikhil (Poojary)

Panaji, Goa: After a run of unlucky results, Hyderabad FC is back in action, when they face Chennaiyin FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, on Monday night. Playing their first of seven games in the month of January, Hyderabad, which is currently eighth in the standings, is likely to put in a stronger performance in this game, to move closer to the top-4 spots.

Chennaiyin, who are seventh in the league table, just a point above Hyderabad, have been in decent form lately. They are unbeaten in the last four games heading into this clash and will pose a strong challenge on Monday.

“Chennai have a really brave coach and are a dangerous side, with a lot of quality players all around the field. I was really impressed by their performance in the first half against FC Goa and I am sure they will be a tough side to play against, tomorrow,” said Manolo, speaking about the game ahead.

Csaba Laszlo has a strong squad at his disposal. He could miss the services of Rafael Crivellaro who is doubtful for Monday. But the manager has a good mix of Indian talent and foreign experience to choose from.

Lallianzuala Chhangte, Eli Sabia, Enes Sipovic, Anirudh Thapa and Jakub Sylvestr have all played a crucial role in the recent results for Chennaiyin and could be the danger men for Hyderabad in this game. The return of Esma Goncalves (Isma) will also provide the coach with some options for his starting XI.

“Like a couple of other teams in the ISL this season, I think Chennaiyin deserve more points than they have on the league table. They have a strong attack and are dangerous in set-piece with the likes of Sabia, Sipovic, Deepak Tangri and Memo ready to cause problems to the opponents,” said, the HFC Head Coach.

Manolo Marquez, on the other hand, has players returning from injury. The HFC Head Coach is yet to name a Starting XI with five overseas players since the second-round clash against Bengaluru, but against Chennaiyin, he does have an option to start up to five of them and we will have to wait to see how he sets up his side.

The likes of Joel Chianese and Lluis Sastre played a half each against FC Goa in the last game while Fran Sandaza has looked lively, coming off the bench in the last two games. With the additions of these players, Hyderabad will aim for a stronger performance against their South Indian neighbors.

However, Manolo revealed that two of HFC’s players may yet miss the game on Monday. “Nikhil (Poojary) is not ready to play. Liston (Colaco) can play, but he is not 100% and we need to assess the risks involved in playing him, before we can include him in the squad,” he said.

With both teams just a couple of good results away from breaking into the top-4, this game is a real chance for either side to not only start the new year with a positive result but to make sure that they can push for qualification, come the end of the season.

“Football is an unpredictable game. Yes, things did not go our way in the last few games. So, maybe there will be a few tactical changes against Chennaiyin,” said Manolo, when asked about his side’s preparations for this game.

The game kicks off at 7:30 pm on Monday and will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network with live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and JioTV.