Hyderabad FC and East Bengal FC produced a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Hero Super Cup on Thursday at Manjeri Payyanad Stadium in Kerala after Odisha FC had beaten Aizawl FC 3-0 in the earlier game.

The second game was a goalfest with Naorem Mahesh Singh and Javier Siverio each scoring a brace for their respective sides and was the pick of the two games on the day.

The result means Hyderabad FC are tied on points with Odisha FC, while East Bengal FC are third with two points.

East Bengal FC started the game on the front foot and got their noses in front in the fourth minute when they caught the Hyderabad FC defence high up the pitch, which allowed winger Naorem Mahesh Singh to slide back home into an empty net having rounded the goalkeeeper.

Hyderabad FC piled up the pressure after conceding early in the game, and it paid off within minutes after East Bengal FC scored the opener, as Javier Siverio was the quickest to respond to a Halicharan Narzary cross and head home the equaliser to cancel out East Bengal FC’s lead.

East Bengal FC came back with a flurry of attacks, and in no time they regained the lead with VP Suhair hammering the ball past Gurmeet Singh from a tight angle, and within the first half an hour, the game saw three quick fire goals. Naorem Mahesh Singh completed his brace right on the stroke of half-time to put his team in a comfortable position with a two-goal lead.

Hyderabad FC came out in the second half with more purpose after a dominating first 45 minutes from the opposition. They brought in Abdul Rabeeh and further made two changes when the clock hit 65 minutes to help them get back into the game.

Javier Siverio completed his brace when he sneaked it past Kamaljit Singh to make it 3-2 for Hyderabad FC, and it helped the team get right back in the contest. The substitution paid off when Abdul Rabeeh scored the third and last goal of the night, completing the comeback for his team after being two goals down.

East Bengal FC goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh made himself big and made a huge save in the dying moments of the game to deny Hyderabad FC a late winner as Borja Herrera fired a thunderous shot which seemed destined for the top corner.

In what was a chaotic game of football, both teams settled for a share of spoils. 

Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC will now face-off for a place in the semi-final while East Bengal FC would hope for a draw between the two teams as they look to beat Aizawl FC and stay alive in the competition.

Odisha FC thump past Aizawl FC in a comfortable 3-0 victory

Diego Mauricio starred as Odisha FC beat AIzawl FC 3-0 in the earlier match of the day.

Odisha FC now has four points from two games and is in first place in Group B thanks to its victory, which earned them three points. Aizawl FC hasn't scored a point yet.

Aizawl FC and Odisha FC were evenly matched for the first 45 minutes of the gamewith both teams having similar amounts of ball possession and scoring opportunities.

Narender Gahlot of Odisha, a centre defender, received the first opportunity as he rose to head a corner towards goal in the 16th minute. The ball, however, went onto the top of the net because he was unable to keep his attempt low.

Aizawl FC gained control of the game over the following 15 minutes and had two opportunities to score the game's first goal. Hruaitea had the better chances on both occasions; in the 20th minute, his volleyed attempt from a corner narrowly missed the goalpost.

Hruaitea missed a great chance to give his team the lead in the 28th minute when the ball was right in front of the goal.

Nonetheless, opportunities were plentiful for both sides, and soon before half-time, Odisha FC winger Isak Vanlalruatfela found himself in a position where he only had Vanlalhriatpuia to beat. But, the goalkeeper did well to parry his attempt and maintain the tied score going into half-time.

Isak was given his second consecutive opportunity to score early in the second half. The ball appeared to be heading for the top corner as the 21-year-old dribbled in from the left flank and attempted an unbelievable shot from beyond the area. But once more, it was Vanlalhriatpuia who intervened to save Aizawl FC in the nick of time.

The opening goal came from the ensuing corner in the 47th minute. Diego Mauricio was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball home from close range and give Odisha FC the lead.

Odisha FC added another goal in the 55th minute. This time, Victor Rodriguez showed excellent footwork inside the penalty area to elude a defender and score to extend his team's lead. After that, Clifford Miranda's team completely took control of the game.

Nandha Kumar Sekar made it 3-0 in the second minute of stoppage time to secure the victory. Vanlalhriatpuia wonderfully stopped Diego Mauricio's furious shot, but Nandha was there to score on the rebound.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, K. Lalmalsawma took down Mauricio within the penalty area, giving him another opportunity to score. Yet the heroic custodian for Aizawl FC turned aside the Brazilian's penalty.

An exciting clash between the two ended in Odisha FC’s favour and they will now face Hyderabad FC for the top of the table clash on April 17, 2023.

Related tags:

Odisha FCHyderabad FCEast Bengal FC2022-2023