Hyderabad boss Manuel Marquez was honest with his analysis of the game – he called it boring.
Hyderabad had over 60% possession of the ball against NorthEast United but struggled to capitalize on that advantage during their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Sunday.
The two teams were tied on points and placed third and fourth on the points table heading into Sunday’s game. They made sure nothing changed after 90 minutes of football between two playoff contenders.
Hyderabad has shown they can play attacking football this season. NorthEast United have proven their worth since Khalid Jamil took over from Gerard Nus and already defeated Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan playing football on the counterattack.
But if the supporters expected a top performer, they would have turned off their screens with utter disappointment. The competition was terribly dull and as Hyderabad boss Manuel Marquez called it after the match, “boring!”.
“It was a very boring game. Both teams played without freedom and were very slow on the ball. We had to try something more because they only played three days ago. game after the break. Maybe all the teams are tired but that’s no excuse. Maybe we had a chance or two but not obvious. ”
The starting line-up offered by Khalid Jamil was surprising due to the absence of Deshorn Brown who only did on the bench and came into play in the second half. While the coach later revealed it was due to injury, Idrissa Sylla has not proven to be a strong threat up front, with just two goals and no assists in 15 appearances this season.
Hyderabad was dominant in midfield, pulverizing flank passes and sending crosses into the box for Aridane Santana and Fran Sandaza. Asish Rai was particularly effective on the right flank and his crosses were threatening, but the North East defense, led by Benjamin Lambot and Dylan Fox, was more than up to the task.
A tough defense helped the Highlanders match the Nizams as they played too many passes with very little effect. The attack-against-defense strategy, with no end product, allowed for a lackluster vision towards the end.
Lambot was fortunate enough to walk towards a match winner from a Gallego delivery to the box right at the end of the match. Likewise, Liston Colaco also had a shot on target that was directly on the goalkeeper. But there was no winner that day.
