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Hyderabad FC scripted a dominant 3-0 victory against Neroca FC at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Tuesday (August 30) to book a berth in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup 2022. Bartholomew Ogbeche bagged a brace to steer the Indian Super League champions to their third straight victory in the competition.
Hyderabad FC came into the clash after winning their first two fixtures in the competition. Manolo Marquez's men edged past TRAU 2-0 before registering a 3-1 victory against two-time ISL winners Chennaiyin FC, courtesy of an Ogbeche brace.
Meanwhile, Neroca FC thrashed TRAU 3-1 in the Imphal derby before drawing 0-0 to Army Red.
On paper, Hyderabad were the clear favorites and they started the game by establishing their superiority in every department. In just the second minute, a cross from Akash Mishra created panic inside the Neroca box before Joel Chianese composed himself to slot home the loose ball.
The Nizams had a dream start to the game but wanted to pile the pressure on the Manipuri club. In the 17th minute, Hyderabad FC carved open the Neroca FC defense again through a Borja Herrera cross down the left. Bartholomew Ogbeche patiently waited in the box before thumping the ball home to make it 2-0.
What followed the initial onslaught was a rather stop-and-go game, with a blackout in the stadium disrupting the proceedings. However, the game restarted after a brief interval and Hyderabad FC went into half-time with a two-goal lead.
Bartholomew Ogbeche completes his second consecutive brace for Hyderabad FC
After the break, Manolo Marquez opted to bring on Javier Siverio for Joel Chainese. Although they showed some resilience, Neroca FC were stuck in their own half while Hyderabad FC continued to raise their intensity.
The ISL champions showed a lot of maturity in possession as they dominated the proceedings, with the Imphal-based club left chasing shadows.
As the minutes rolled on in the second half, Hyderabad continued to hunt for the third goal and finally, in the 82nd minute, their efforts were rewarded. Hitesh Sharma whipped in a low cross, which was booted away by a Neroca FC defender.
However, the tame clearance fell kindly for Ogbeche, who completed his second consecutive brace.
Hyderabad will next play Army Red in their final group stage game (September 3) while Neroca FC will square off against Chennaiyin FC (September 5)
