That brings an end to our coverage of this ISL 2022-23 match. This is Anantaajith signing off for the night, see you guys again very soon!
16:01 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
Kerala Blasters suffer a 1-0 loss in their final game of the ISL 2022-23 league phase, with Borja Gonzalez's 29th-minute strike giving Hyderabad a confidence-boosting win.
The Nizams' defensive solidity has been their biggest strength and they restricted the Tuskers to just six shots and zero on target while scoring with their only effort on target (nine shots in total). Joel Chianese was the star of the show for the visitors, hitting the crossbar with a volley and scoring a delightfully worked goal that was later ruled out for offside in the first half.
The second half didn't see too many chances, with Hyderabad having another goal ruled out for offside and Aaren D'Silva putting a free header over from Abdul Rabeeh's brilliant cross. Kerala struggled to create anything of substance and that will be a worry for Ivan Vukomanovic, who has to prepare his side for a do-or-die playoff encounter against Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava on Friday, March 4.
Hyderabad, meanwhile, can rest and reset for a while and won't have to return to the field until March 9. Manolo Marquez's side will have Bart Ogbeche back for that match and will expect to have a much more clinical outing in attack.
15:56 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
FULL-TIME! Hyderabad leave Kochi with a 1-0 win!
15:49 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
90' Rohit Danu replaces Mohammad Yasir for Hyderabad.
15:46 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
87' Final change for the Blasters as Bijoy Varghese replaces Ruivah Hormipam.
15:46 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
86' CHANCE FOR HYDERABAD TO SEAL IT GOES BEGGING!
Rabeeh easily gets past his man on the right and to the by-line before whipping a cross in for an unmarked Aaren, who somehow heads over with the goal at his mercy.
15:42 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
83' Marko Leskovic is now booked for a foul on Joel Chianese.
15:39 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
80' Ruivah Hormipam is the latest to go into the book for a rash foul on Aaren D'Silva.
15:36 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
75' Changes for both teams as Nihal Sudheesh comes on for Sahal Abdul Samad for Kerala Blasters, while Abdul Rabeeh and Aaren D'Silva replace Javier Siverio and Halicharan Narzary for Hyderabad.
15:32 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
72' Offside!
Hyderabad play some brilliant football with Akash, Chianese and Halicharan involved before Chianese sets up Siverio to finish off a superb move, but he was past the last defender when the ball was played.
15:30 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
71' Over again!
A cross from the left is defended poorly by Hyderabad. It's eventually set back for Danish, who shoots well over the bar.
15:24 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
65' OVER!
Victor fouls Luna just outside the area and the latter steps up to take the set-piece, but puts his shot just over the crossbar.
15:23 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
62' Triple change for the Kerala Blasters as Apostolos Giannou, Danish Farooq and Nishu Kumar replace Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, Bryce Miranda and Ayush Adhikari.
15:21 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
61' Hyderabad make their second chance as Joao Victor comes on for goalscorer Borja Gonzalez.
15:15 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
56' CHANCE!
Borja delivers a good corner that's met by Siverio, but his header is blocked before Kerala Blasters get the ball cleared.
15:08 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
49' First opportunity of the half falls to Chianese, but his header from a cross is well wide of the post.
15:06 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
46' Hyderabad make a half-time substitution as Reagan Singh replaces Nikhil Poojary.
15:04 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
46' We're back underway!
14:52 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
Hyderabad take a 1-0 lead into the interval thanks to Borja Gonzalez's brilliant finish in the 29th minute. The Nizams have created the better chances, while staying defensively resolute and hold a deserved advantage ahead of the second half. They even momentarily thought they were up by two when Joel Chianese finished off a cross by Javier Siverio after some clever play by Mohammad Yasir. However, the goal was ruled out for offside extremely late, leading to some frustration from the visitors.
The Blasters, meanwhile, are yet to really pick this Hyderabad defense apart and have not had much luck from distance either. Their own defense has struggled against the interchanging Yasir, Siverio and Chianese and they desperately needed the break to reset.
We will be back soon for what should be an entertaining second half!
14:48 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
45+2' HALF-TIME!
14:44 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
41' Vibin Mohanan is the first Kerala Blasters player to go into the referee's book for a high-boot foul on Javier Siverio.
14:38 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
35' GOAL! HYDERABAD DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! BUT NOW IT'S DISALLOWED!
Once again, the Blasters get picked apart on the counter. Tavora finds Yasir on the left and he skips past a challenge before sending a beautiful reverse pass to Siverio. He sets it up for Chianese, who looked to be offside, and the forward finished with ease.
With the players heading back to the halfway line, the assistant referee raises his flag and the goal is disallowed.
Kerala Blasters fans celebrate, but Hyderabad's players and coach Marquez are fuming!
14:34 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
33' Goalmouth scramble but Kerala survive!
Borja's corner is met by Mishra, whose header is blocked, but it comes to Siverio. He shoots but it's deflected behind for a corner.
14:31 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
29' GOOOOOOOOAALLLLLLLLL! BORJA SCORES FOR HYDERABAD!
The Nizams win the field high up the pitch on the right and Yasir cuts in unchallenged and has plenty of space to pick out Halicharan. He cuts it back for Borja, who fires an inch-perfect effort just inside the bottom right corner to make it 1-0!
14:18 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
17' Kalyuzhnyi finds some space on the edge of the box and decides to try his luck, but the shot is high and wide by some distance.
14:18 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
17' Nikhil Poojari is the first player to go into the book for a foul on Bryce Miranda.
14:15 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
14' SO CLOSE!
This time, it's Kerala's turn to come forward, led by Adrian Luna. He finds Vibin at the edge of the box and he attempts a curler that whistles just wide of the top corner with Gurmeet rooted to his spot.
14:12 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
10' CROSSBAR!
Hyderabad work the ball well down the left and cross to the unmarked Siverio is mishit by the forward. It still reaches Chianese, who fires a volleyed effort that comes back off the crossbar. First real chance of the game!
14:07 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
6' We're past the opening five minutes which has seen both teams enjoy short spells in possession without really troubling each others' defenses.
14:01 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
1' KICK-OFF!
13:52 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
Less than 10 minutes away from kick-off and we can feel the excitement building up in the stadium...
Less than an hour to go for kick-off and here are the lineups for both teams!
13:12 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
Hello everyone! This is Anantaajith and I'll be bringing you Sportskeeda's exclusive coverage of the ISL 2022-23 match between Kerala Blasters FC and Hyderabad FC. Looking forward to a fun and engaging encounter!
12:20 (GMT)26 FEB 2023
Kerala Blasters FC will host Hyderabad FC at the JNI Stadium in Kochi in the final match of the ISL 2022-23 season's league phase.
Defending champions Hyderabad secured their place in the playoffs quite a while ago and are set to finish second, with a direct semifinal berth secured. Their opponents, meanwhile, will finish fifth regardless of their result against the Nizams. Should the Blasters win the game, they will draw level with ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC on 34 points. However, Kerala's inferior head-to-head record against the two teams means the Mariners and the Blues will finish third and fourth respectively.
Hyderabad will enter this match on the back of 3-2 home defeat against Jamshedpur FC, a game in which Bart Ogbeche scored twice. Following this upcoming game, Manolo Marquez's side will not be in action until March 9, so they could field quite a few of their starters. Meanwhile, the Kerala Blasters' playoff tie against Bengaluru is scheduled just five days after this match. Given the turnaround period, the Tuskers may give some of their key players a rest against the Nizams.
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