ISL 2022-23, Semi-Final 2: HFC face familiar semi-final rival ATKMB in its top-gear title defence
ISL 2022-23: The tournament has reached the semi-final stage, as the second such game will occur between Hyderabad FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, with the former’s title defence hitting top gear.
FollowDefending champion Hyderabad FC (HFC) will lock horns with ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) in the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday. This climacteric meeting will feature the clash of the two best defences in the league this season and will also be the second time these two sides will meet at this point in as many seasons.
The opening leg of the semi-final will be in HFC’s backyard, similar to last season. Manolo Marquez’s men have lost only a couple out of the ten contests at home this season and, overall, had the best defensive record in the league, with only 16 goals yielded in 20 games.
Borja Herrera scored the match’s sole goal in their last game versus the Kerala Blasters (KBFC). The Spaniard has been a significant figure in the HFC midfield. Bartholomew Ogbeche is the club’s leading goal scorer for the season, with ten goals. “Every team that has reached the semi-final will try to reach the final. We are playing the same semi-final that we played last season, so let’s see if we can also repeat the outcome of last season and advance. The expectation of all four teams in the semis will be the same. All four teams can win the trophy,” said Marquez.
ATKMB has played an extra fixture after the league phase conclusion, eliminating Odisha FC (OFC) in the new knockout stage of the ISL playoffs for the season. The victory extended the Mariners’ winning run to three meetings and capped off an integral spike in form after it was in danger of falling out of the top four. They scored a couple of goals in those three games, keeping a clean sheet in two.
ATKMB hopes to change this fixture’s outcome this time, but its away form has been a matter of concern. The Mariners finished third on the table, but on the road, they bested only three out of ten encounters, scoring ten goals and giving away nine. Conversely, Juan Ferrando’s men have the second-best defensive record this season - conceding just a goal more than HFC. They are, however, far HFC’s attacking numbers and will be without the injured Ashique Kuruniyan for this match.
“We are not focusing on their [HFC’s] individual players. We are focusing on them as a team because that is football. Ogbeche is an outstanding player and a proven goalscorer. But it is eleven versus eleven on the pitch, and our focus will never be on one player. The team has reached the semi-final, not because of just one player. The entire squad has contributed to it,” said Ferrando. When the two units clashed in the semis last season, HFC bested with an aggregate score of 3-2, thanks to a 3-1 result in the opening leg at home.
