Hyderabad FC climbed up to second in the 2021/22 Indian Super League table thanks to the five-one thrashing of NorthEast United FC. Bartholomew Ogbeche scored twice for the Nizams, moving to the top of the individual scoring charts.
Hyderabad FC continued their steady ascension to the top with their third win in four; the Nizams thrashed NorthEast United FC 5-1 thanks to Bartholomew Ogbeche’s brace. On the contrary, NEUFC dropped down to second-bottom in the league due to their third loss in four games. The Highlanders are now just a solitary point above East Bengal FC.
Chinglensana Singh opened the scoring in the 12th minute for Hyderabad – the centre-back reacting quickest to the ball hitting the post and bouncing freely inside the six-yard box. 15 minutes later, Ogbeche doubled the Nizams’ lead with his first of the match. The forward brought down a long ball over the United defense with his chest before firing a shot across Subhasish Chowdhury in goal.
Laldanmawia Ralte pulled a goal back for the Highlanders just before the interval. The winger was present to poke the ball into the back of the net from close range, following an almighty scramble inside the Hyderabad box. Ralte’s goal gave Khalid Jamil’s side a much-needed boost heading into half-time, which they looked to have carried with them on the other side of the break.
However, even a sustained spell of pressure early in the second half bore no fruit for NorthEast United, and Ogbeche put the game beyond their reach with his second goal of the night in the 78th minute. The 37-year-old received the ball 25 yards from goal and protected it from Hernan Santana before swirling away from his marker and firing a powerful shot into the corner.
Three of Hyderabad’s substitutes combined to add a fourth in the 90th minute. First, Javier Siveiro and then Joel Chianese flicked on a long kick by Laxmikant Kattimani towards the opposition box, where it was latched onto by Aniket Jadhav, who scored with a first-time shot past Chowdhury. Siveiro scored the fifth – and final – goal for Hyderabad four minutes later, heading in a cross from another substitute Aaren D’Silva.
