Originally published in The Times of India on January 20, 2021
Hyderabad: Odisha FC held Hyderabad FC to a 1-1 draw at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday.
It was a game of two halves as Hyderadabad dominated proceedings in the first-half, with Halicharan Narzary handing the Nizams the lead after he drove the ball home from a Liston Colaco cross. But Odisha bounced back and created a multitude of chances in the second-half. Captain Cole Alexander sparked the fight back when he scored the equalizer at the 51st minute, utilizing a ball by Diego Mauricio.
The teams were evenly matched during the early stages as both sides attacked well, but fell short with the finishing touch. Hyderabad’s Mohammed Yasir wasted a goalscoring chance after he could only deliver a weak wayward shot from Colaco’s short pass.
Shortly after, Odisha forward Diego Mauricio had his first crack on goal when he shot the ball directly at Hyderabad keeper Laxmikant Kattimani’s hands from a narrow angle.
Hyderabad’s continuous attacking paid off as Halicharan Narzary utilized a pinpoint cross from Colaco and deposited the ball beyond the reach of Odisha keeper Arshdeep Singh at the quarter-hour mark.
The Nizams almost doubled their lead minutes later as Ashish Rai delivered a backward cross to Aridane, who could only drive the ball straight at Arshdeep.
Odisha responded in kind, and Daniel Lalhlimpuia’s shot on goal was saved comfortably by Kattimani. Hyderabad continued to be on the front foot, bypassing Odisha’s defence on multiple occasions and creating several goalscoring chances.
Narzary nearly got his brace when he fired a quick shot on goal from an Aridane cross near the 18-yard box, but the ball bounced off the goalpost.
Odisha started brightly in the second-half, winning a corner and utilizing their ball possession well, which led to the equalizer. Hyderabad were caught napping when Mauricio held off the Nizams’ defence and laid the ball on for captain Alexander, who delivered a bullet shot to the bottom left corner, leaving Kattimani no chance.
The Hyderabad players thought they had a penalty when the ball hit Gaurav Bora’s hand inside the Odisha box at the hour mark, but the appeal was waved away by the referee.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga missed a chance to hand the Kalinga Warriors the lead when he blasted the ball above the goalpost, wasting a perfect cross from Rakesh Pradhan. Hyderabad’s Akash Mishra made a vital clearance when he headed Mauricio’s shot from a narrow angle away from the goal-line shortly after.
The game descended to a scrappy affair as both teams tried their hardest to notch up the winning goal, with Odisha creating the more threatening chances. Mishra foiled another late attempt on goal by Odisha when he guided a shot by Jerry away from the goal-line. Despite the two side’s best attempts, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
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