ISL 2024-25: Efficient second-half show helps Hyderabad win 3-2 against Jamshedpur

Hyderabad, Jan 23 (IANS) Goals by Muhammed Rafi, Joseph Sunny, and Andrei Alba helped former Champions Hyderabad FC launch a superb comeback to beat Jamshedpur FC 3-2 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Thursday night.

After scoring first and then conceding twice, the home side struck the back of the net twice in a short passage of play in the second half to clinch all three points from this match, in which they held 54.1% of the possession and took four shots on target. This was their first win in nine games since beating Kerala Blaster FC on November 7, 2024, and broke their four-game losing streak against Jamshedpur FC.

Hyderabad FC stepped up the intensity from the onset, unleashing an array of attacking moves in the opening essay of the match. They recorded four touches inside the Jamshedpur FC box in the first half, and one of them resulted in a goal by Muhammed Rafi. It was Rafi’s first strike in the ISL and it was brought about due to an enterprising effort by Manoj Mohammad on the left flank.

The Hyderabad FC frontline sliced open Jamshedpur FC’s defence with a quick move down the centre, where they drew bodies before Manoj rushed on the left flank. He received the ball deftly and thumped in a powerful low cross that was hammered into the high centre of the net by Rafi in the 12th minute. Jamshedpur FC, however, swung straight back into the game by exerting equally effective pressure on the Hyderabad FC defence. Javi Hernandez converted a couple of spot-kicks within a four-minute interval.

The attacking midfielder in fact inspired the Red Miners to win the first of those penalties with his sharp footwork inside the 18-yard area, as Manoj – the enabler of Hyderabad FC’s first goal, committed a foul. Javi stepped up to take the spot-kick and caressed the ball into the bottom right corner to equalise the scores in the 24th minute.

Merely three minutes later, it was Jordan Murray’s turn to flash inside the box and Alex Saji ended up fouling the Jamshedpur FC attacker within the box. Alex was booked immediately and Javi was on penalty kick duties again. This time, he aimed for his left and drilled the ball into the bottom corner to gain Jamshedpur FC the slender lead.

Jamshedpur FC caught on to this momentum and Imran Khan served Murray a delivery inside the box, which the latter aimed to pounce upon immediately but shot high and wide to the left despite hitting it from the centre of the 18-yard area.

Hyderabad FC regained their offensive edge in the second half of the game though. There was a back-and-forth sequence of attacks between both sides but a blend of defensive organisation and offensive retaliations ensured that the hosts never totally ceded control over the game. It took Ramhlunchhunga to come up with a precise delivery inside the final third in the 69th minute to draw scores level again. Joseph Sunny was on the move but showed impeccable composure to pick the ball and direct it straight to the top right corner in a smooth stretch of play to drag his side back into the contest.

Just as was the case with Jamshedpur FC in the first half, Hyderabad FC had a brief passage of play after this goal where they operated overwhelmingly on the offensive, testing the robustness of the Jamshedpur FC defensive line. An individual moment of brilliance from Andrei Alba sealed the deal for them in the 74th minute. Manoj, who was the protagonist of setting up the first goal of the night, repeated those heroics to cap off the clash as his pass was well received and then nestled into the bottom left corner from the outside of the box by Alba to get Hyderabad FC forward and secure all three points for them.

Hyderabad FC will play their next game against NorthEast United FC on January 29, whereas Jamshedpur FC will be facing off against Punjab FC on January 28.

–IANS

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