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SC East Bengal continued their winless streak after being being held to a 1-1 draw by Hyderabad FC in an Indian Super League match here on Thursday.
The draw helped the Nizams to jump into second place on the points table and extend their unbeaten run to six matches.
The Red & Gold Brigade, hower, remained winless in eight matches.
Amir Dervisevic (20th minute) gave SC East Bengal an early lead against the run of play with a brilliant free-kick but Bartholomew Ogbeche (35th) scored with a header to bring the match level.
Joel Chianese was the first to test Arindam Bhattacharjya in the 12th minute after a cautious start from both teams.
However, it was SC East Bengal that went into the lead thanks to a powerful direct free-kick from outside the box by Amir Dervisevic.
The mid-fielder scored with a left-footed shot that caught Laxmikant Kattimani unawares, who should have done better in saving the attempt.
Daniel Chima Chukwu missed a fabulous opportunity to double his team’s lead by sending his shot wide in a one-on-one situation just before the half-hour mark.
Post the drinks break, Hyderabad FC turned up the intensity and scored through Bartholomew Ogbeche. A pinpoint cross from the left flank by Aniket Jadhav found Ogbeche’s head, who easily directed the ball past the goalkeeper.
Minutes after the equaliser, Mohammad Rafique then blasted the ball against the crossbar with a powerful shot from outside the box after latching on to a layoff by Chukwu. Both teams went into the break on equal terms.
Manolo Marquez sent Sahil Tavora in Rohit Danu’s place as a halftime substitution.
The second half saw both teams cancel each other out and both tacticians made personnel changes to change the complexion of the game.
At the 85th minute mark, Sahil Tavora attempted a long-range attempt which made Arindam parry the shot away. The rebound from Siverio went wayward, to the goalkeeper’s relief.
Despite throwing everything in the added seven minutes, neither side could find the winner and the game ended on even terms.
Hyderabad FC will play Odisha FC in their next match at the Athletic Stadium on December 28, while SC East Bengal has a long rest period before facing Bengaluru FC on January 4.
With this draw, Hyderabad jumped to the second position in the points table. Hyderabad have 12 points from seven matches. However, East Bengal remained unbeaten for the eighth consecutive match. East Bengal could not get a single win in the new season.
Hyderabad and East Bengal failed to make much of an impact in the first ten minutes of the match. East Bengal goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya thwarted Joel Chianes’ goal in the 12th minute.
East Bengal shocked Hyderabad in the 20th minute. East Bengal took the lead with a goal on the first try. Superstar Aamir Dervisevich shakes the net for East Bengal. In the 20th minute, the referee awarded a free kick in favor of East Bengal from just outside the Hyderabad box. The kick was taken by Dervisovich.
Hyderabad goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani’s free kick into the net. The shot, which could have been easily saved, turned into a goal due to Kattimani’s negligence. With this, Hyderabad woke up and started playing. East Bengal tried to strengthen their defense when they tried to attack Hyderabad. East Bengal focused only on counter-attacks.
In the 35th minute, East Bengal took the lead through a superb counter attack but Daniel Chuck failed to find the target. But in the ensuing attack, Hyderabad found the target. Superstar Bartholomew Ogbache shook the net for Hyderabad with a smashing header.
In the 35th minute, Ogbeche received a beautiful cross from Aniket Jadhav into the box and headed the ball into the net. With this, the Hyderabad camp got excited. The match was exciting.
In the 40th minute, East Bengal’s Rafeeq seemed to score, but the star’s long range Hyderabad hit a cross bar. Soon the first half was over.
At the start of the second half, Hyderabad’s Edu Garcia got a good chance but the player could not convert it into a goal. In the second half, Hyderabad unleashed a more aggressive attack than in the first half. In the 53rd minute, Garcia had another chance but the goal was just wide of the post.
Hyderabad dominated throughout the second half. But the East Bengal defense put up a good performance. In the 83rd minute, Balwant Singh’s header from East Bengal crossed the Hyderabad crossbar. Later, Hyderabad and East Bengal failed to create significant opportunities.
