ISL 2022-23: Defending Champions Hyderabad FC surge to second spot after clinical win against Chennaiyin FC
Halicharan Narzary, Chinglensana Singh, and substitute Borja Herrera struck in the second half to push the defending champions Hyderabad FC back into second place.
FollowAfter two straight losses, Hyderabad FC defeated Chennaiyin FC 3-1 on Saturday in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 Â at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. In the second half, goals from Halicharan Narzary, Chinglensana Singh, and substitute Borja Herrera moved the reigning champions back into the second position.
Gurmukh Singh, Vincy Barretto, Edwin Vanspaul, and Abdenasser El Khayati were brought in for Chennaiyin FC's four substitutions, while Vafa Hakhamaneshi, Sajal Bag, Sourav Das, and Jockson Dhas were left out. Joel Chianese and Halicharan Narzary returned to the starting lineup for the visitors, while Borja Herrera was benched and Reagan Singh was omitted.
In the last seconds of the first half, Hyderabad FC came close to taking the lead. Fallou Diagne beat Chianese to the ball by crossing it from the right wing before Nikhil Poojary. A clearance, though, was received by Narzary, whose effort struck the crossbar.
A stunning effort from Narzary broke the tie five minutes after the hour mark. Chennaiyin FC tackled the ball during Hyderabad FC's short corner routine right into the path of Narzary, who wrapped his boot around it and buried it into the goal. As soon as the first goal was scored, Chennaiyin FC was down to ten men after right-back Ajith received a second yellow card in the 71st minute.
Chinglensana Singh's close-range volley gave the visitors a double-digit lead as the game's final period approached. In the 74th minute, Chinglensana slammed the ball into the net from close range after Chennaiyin FC failed to clear another corner properly.
Four minutes later, Petar Sliskovic headed in El Khayati's cross from the left to give the Marina Machans a 2-1 lead. The happiness, though, was fleeting because seven minutes later, the men in yellow restored their two-goal lead. At the edge of the box, substitute Borja Herrera plucked the ball out of the air and put it into the top-left corner.
With two points behind leaders Mumbai City FC after the victory, Hyderabad FC moved back into second place. On December 9, Friday, they will return home and host East Bengal FC. After FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC by two points, Chennaiyin FC is still in seventh place. On December 10, Saturday, the Marina Machans will travel to Guwahati to take on NorthEast United FC.
Key Stats:
- Halicharan Narzary whipped in 6 crosses and scored 1 goal in the game.
- Abdenasser El Khayati created 3 chances and finished the game with 1 assist.
- Chinglensana Singh made 7 clearances and scored 1 goal in the game.
