On Monday, April 17, Odisha FC defeated Hyderabad FC 2-1 at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri to go to the Hero Super Cup 2023 semi-finals.
Second-half goals from Diego Mauricio and Victor Rodriguez were enough to overcome an early setback as Odisha FC maintained their perfect record in Group B, finishing with seven points from two wins and one tie. Javier Siverio put Hyderabad FC up early in the game.
Initially, Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad FC appeared more controlled than their opponents, as they kept their defensive unit together. They gained confidence after a number of early attempts on the Odisha goal.
They gained confidence to make additional inroads after a pair of early attempts on the Odisha goal.
Hyderabad finally broke through in the 11th minute, when a curling cross from Borja Herrera Gonzalez was met by Javier Siverio to make it 1-0. The Spanish striker soared into the air and headed it into the top right corner, leaving Amrinder Singh frozen in place.
Siverio and Abdul Rabeeh continued to trouble the Odisha FC defenders with their forward runs and had a couple shots on goal. Diego Mauricio, on the other hand, partnered with Nandha Kumar as the two worked together to find the equaliser.
Mauricio, in particular, had a couple of fantastic chances to tie the game. However, Gurmeet Singh calmly stopped the Brazilian star’s grounders in the 27th and 34th minutes.
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Odisha FC still stays strong in second half
In the 53rd minute, Siverio had a chance to double his team’s advantage after swapping sides. Sahil Tavora sent a stunning aerial cross inside the box. And an unmarked Siverio had only the custodian to contend with. However, the 25-year-old absolutely missed the ball.
In the 55th minute, Mauricio equalised for Odisha. The Odisha player capitalised on a tussle inside the box following a corner kick to find the back of the net.
But Hyderabad kept going and created some excellent stuff. They came dangerously close to retaking the lead on many occasions, but couldn’t find the back of the goal. On one such instance, in the 73rd minute, Siverio had another chance to score. However, the Spaniard’s header from a Joel Chianese cross was off target.
Meanwhile, Odisha continued to play on the counter and kept the Hyderabad defenders busy with consistent movement in the final third.
Finally, their perseverance paid off as Diego Mauricio and Victor Rodriguez combined to make it 2-1. Rodriguez was left unmarked inside the box this time, and he made no mistake in tapping in Mauricio’s low cross from the right flank.
The referee gave Gurmeet Singh the marching orders in the waning stages of the game. The Hyderabad custodian tripped Mauricio right outside the box, preventing him from scoring.\
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