Late goals from Aridane Santana and Fran Sandaza have helped Hyderabad registered their fourth draw in a raw and remain unbeaten in their last six games. Bengaluru are now winless in eight games.
Sunil Chhetri scored a header off a Cleiton Silva free-kick before Leon Augustine put the Blues 2-0 up with a cool finish but the Nizams were able to bounce back in the last five minutes of the game to deny Moosaâs men what looked to be an easy win.
Bengaluru FC Interim Head Coach Naushad Moosa After the Match
"Again the same problem, switching off. It was a two-goal lead and then conceding two goals in four minutes (sic). I donât know how to digest that.
"Why I got them out was because Cleiton was complaining about his hamstring at half time and Sunil wasnât keeping well, he didnât even train yesterday, so I thought about resting them. I expected Semboi adn Naorem to do better.
"I myself donât know. Imagine having a two-goal lead and getting in two goals. The team has really been fighting, I appreciate the way they have been playing but again, somewhere, I need to see the goals now and then think about it. When I saw the goal, I feel there was a defensive lapse and we just switched off. We canât have four men and one person going in behind and scoring a goal.
Hyderabad FC Head Coach Manuel Marquez After the Game
"We are happy because we were losing 2-0 but I think we didnât deserve that score. We had very clear chances. The second goal for Bengaluru was a gift. We put a lot of offensive players in the last part of the game. In Bengaluruâs situation on a winless run, we scored the first goal and I think they got nervous.
âI think we are young and have a lot of talented players but if we arenât brave and feel pressure of Top 4, we can play another sport. When these moments arrive, you have to be brace. If you lose, you lose, but you have to be brave. And I feel, today they showed that.â
"I think we fought well. We got the two-goal lead. But we let in two goals. We are gutted as a team, it feels like a loss. The whole team thought we had three points in the game. We have to go back, see the goals and discuss it.
"Eight games, we havenât had a win. I know I have to go back and train and give everything there. We are going to sulk for sometime and then get back to training. In football, winning is a habit. I donât know what winning feels now. I sound depressed but we go and give our all and get a loss or a draw, itâs difficult.
"To be honest, I donât know what brand of football we have under Cuadrat or Moosa bhai. We train well, apply ourselves. After every game we lose, we pull each other up. We havenât won for eight games now, I donât know.
The captain of India team and the most experienced player in Indian football is perplexed and not sure what brand of football is Bengaluru FC representing. Indeed a matter of concern!
Time to critically review all the games this season and try to restrategize in order to salvage rest of the games of the season. All the best team!
Tonightâs Hero ISL contest at the Tilak Maidan Stadium served up a thriller as Hyderabad FC fought back from two goals down to clinch a point against Bengaluru FC.
Highlights - Hyderabad FC 2-2 Bengaluru FC - Match 74
The Red and Golds succumbed to a 0-1 defeat against league leaders Mumbai City FC in their most recent ISL fixture. The defeat put an end to their seven-match unbeaten run. Robbie Fowlerâs East Bengal have managed to emerge as a settled unit but lack creativity in the final third.
FC Goa, meanwhile, have been one of the few consistent teams in the league. They are third in the standings and look the firm favorites to retain their place as the competition nears its business end. They drew 1-1 with Kerala Blasters in their most recent ISL game.
FC Goa and SC East Bengal have previously faced each other on two occasions. The first-ever meeting between the two sides was way back in the 2018 Super Cup in which the Red and Golds won by a narrow 1-0 margin. The two teams locked horns for the first time in the ISL earlier in the current season, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Gaurs are unbeaten in their last six ISL games this season with three wins and three draws. They have scored 10 goals during this period and managed to score a goal in each of the games played during this run. Beware, East Bengal!
The Red and Golds are currently on a three-game winless run with two draws and a loss. They have failed to find the back of the net in their last two games (Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City) of the season. East Bengal have also lost five of the 13 games they played this season and have won just twice. Their last win came against Bengaluru FC on January 9. Robbie Fowlerâs side needs to start winning if they want to book a play-offs spot in their debut campagn.
For a player with a minimum of 150 passes in the ISL this season, East Bengalâs Bright Enobakhare has the best passing accuracy in the league, 91.7%. Out of the 168 passes, he has played, the Nigerian has had 154 successful passes. Wow!
FC Goa midfielder and skipper Edu Bedia is just 31 passes away to become the first player in the current campaign of the ISL to attempt 1000 passes. He has played a total of 969 passes out of which the Spaniard has completed 843 passes with a passing accuracy of 87 per cent.
FC Goaâs star striker Igor Angulo has the most number of goals from open play (7) this season. The Spaniard has scored nine goals so far in this season and is currently leading the top scorerâs chart. Lethal!
Halicharan Narzary (26) stats vs Bengaluru FC :
changes for tonightâs clash!