Kerala Blasters FC 0-1 Hyderabad FC: Borja Gonzalez's strike ensures Nizams end ISL 2022-23 league phase with win

Hyderabad FC edged Kerala Blasters FC 1-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi to close out their ISL 2022-23 league campaign on a high on Sunday (February 26).

The Nizams were the better team for much of the game, which was set off by their bright start. After an evenly fought opening ten minutes, they received the first opportunity of the contest when Joel Chianese hit the crossbar with a volley.

The Tuskers responded immediately, though, as Adrian Luna led the team forward before setting up Vibin Mohanan. The youngster's touch was good, and his shot was well-struck but didn't have enough curl on it to creep into the top corner.

Close to the half-hour mark, Hyderabad took the lead. Some excellent work from Mohammad Yasir and an off-the-ball run from Chianese opened up the Kerala Blasters midfield, with no one protecting the final third.

Yasir found Halicharan Narzary on the left wing, and the forward's cut-back was met by Gonzalez. His crisp shot was inch-perfect and crept into Prabsukhan Gill's far post in the 29th minute.

Drama ensued six minutes later when Yasir skipped past a challenge and released Javier Siverio down the right. Siverio whipped a fabulous ball in for Chianese, who finished past Gill to make it 2-0.

However, just as the players began returning to their positions for the restart, the referee consulted with the linesman and ruled the goal out for offside.

No further chances followed as the teams went into the break with the visitors leading 1-0.

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Kerala Blasters fail to find their cutting edge as Hyderabad FC seal victory

As expected, Kerala Blasters FC, fueled by their raucous home support, showed a little more urgency to begin the second half. However, they struggled to breach Hyderabad FC's well-organised backline.

It took till the 65th minute for the hosts to get their first real chance of the second half. Substitute Joao Victor fouled Adrian Luna on the edge of the box, and the latter stepped up to take the free-kick but put his effort just over the crossbar.

At the other end, the Nizams found the back of the net again. Some fabulous play between Akash Mishra, Halicharan Narzary and Joel Chianese down the left saw Chianese set up Javier Siverio, who finished with aplomb. However, Siverio was marginally offside when he received the ball.

A flurry of substitutions and yellow cards followed before the visitors received a splendid chance to seal the contest. Substitute Abdul Rabeeh raced past two Kerala Blasters defenders on the right to get to the byline before crossing into the box.

Rabeeh's cross perfectly found an unmarked Aaren D'Silva, another substitute, in the box. However, D'Silva contrived to head the ball over when it seemed easier to score.

The Kerala Blasters pushed on in search of an equaliser but could create nothing of note, ending the game with no shots on target as Hyderabad hung on to a 1-0 win.

While the result doesn't change their position in the standings, Ivan Vukomanovic has plenty to think about. The Tuskers' next game is just five days away and is a do-or-die game, as they face Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava Stadium in the first playoff knockout fixture.

Hyderabad, meanwhile, will get their chance to rest and iron out their issues before they play the first leg of their ISL 2022-23 semifinal at home on March 9.