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Bengaluru FC faced off against their southern rivals Hyderabad FC in their second game of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season. Bengaluru FC drew with FC Goa in their first game while Hyderabad FC won against Odisha FC.
Former ISL champions Bengaluru FC didn't have the best of starts in the ISL this season and were eager to get their first win of the competition. On the other hand, Hyderabad FC kept a clean sheet in their last game, which was also their first-ever clean sheet in the ISL.
The first half was a close-knit affair, with both teams getting a measure of each other. Hyderabad FC did have the best chance of the half but failed to convert.
The second half saw some excellent end-to-end football, but both teams were guilty of squandering a lot of good chances. The match ended goalless, giving this season's ISL its first goalless draw.
Injuries hinder Hyderabad in their ISL game against Bengaluru FC
Hyderabad FC were getting into rhythm when they were dealt with an injury to Joel Chianese. The Australian midfielder was just starting to make an impact in the ISL game before he had to be substituted due to an ankle injury. That dealt a severe blow to Hyderabad's plans as they were forced to make an early substitution.
Lluis Sastre, the Spanish midfielder of Hyderabad FC, was probably the most influential player in the first half, but even he had to be substituted before half-time due to an injury.
The two twin injury setbacks forced the Hyderabad manager to change his game-plan as two of his best players were out of the ISL game. Without these two injuries, the ISL game could have panned out differently.
Bengaluru FC forwards fail to impress once again
Bengaluru FC have the best Indian forward line compared to all the other ISL teams, yet they have failed to live up to their expectations. For the second consecutive game, they were unable to score and do anything of much note.
While Cleiton Silva managed to get on the scoresheet against FC Goa, the former Thai league top-scorer looked out of touch and wasted a few good opportunities against Hyderabad FC.
Sunil Chhetri has been out of form, and that has been a significant factor in Bengaluru FC having an underwhelming start to their ISL campaign. His impact in the game against Hyderabad was way below the expected level.
Udanta has been another Indian forward who has been poor in the first few ISL games this season. His crosses have been too poor in the games he has played.
Kristian Opseth still hasn't been able to adjust to Indian conditions and play his natural game. Unless Bengaluru FC sort out their forward issues quickly, the Blues could face a lot of problems in the ISL this season.
Hyderabad FC's defence shows promise
It is still early days in the ISL, but Hyderabad FC have managed to impress everyone with their defensive ability.
Their clean sheet in the last game was their first-ever in the ISL, and against Bengaluru FC, they managed to keep another one. Last season, Hyderabad had the worst defensive record, so credit goes to Manuel Marquez and his staff for being able to set up a defensively strong side in the ISL this campaign.
The addition of Subrata Paul has been a massive boost to the Hyderabad set up. The three Indian lads in defence - Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh and Akash Mishra - have been very impressive in the two ISL games they have played, especially this game. Their foreign recruit in defence, Odei Onaindia, has been solid and has helped Hyderabad keep clean sheets in two consecutive ISL games.
Both Bengaluru FC and Hyderabad FC, however, need to work on their finishing if they wish to challenge for the ISL title this season.
