Hyderabad FC march into semis of Durand Cup

Reining Indian Super League champions Hyderabad FC continued their dominating form as they entered the semifinals of the Durand Cup

Hyderabad: Reining Indian Super League champions Hyderabad FC continued their dominating form as they entered the semifinals of the Durand Cup football tournament, defeating Rajasthan United FC 3-1 in the quarterfinals in Kolkata on Monday.

Hyderabad FC’s top-scorer in ISL last season Bartholomew Ogbeche opened the scoring with a sixth-minute goal while with Akash Mishra (45th) and Javier Siverio (69th) extended the lead. Uruguayan Martin Chavez scored off a penalty for Rajasthan in the 29th minute.

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Mohammedan Sporting take on Mumbai City FC in the first semifinals on Wednesday while Hyderabad go up against Bengaluru FC a day later. Both the semifinals will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).

Manolo Marquez meant business from the word go when he started with Ogbeche and it was not long before the Nigerian got on the score sheet. Borja Herrera delivered the curler from the left flank and Ogbeche got ahead of his marker expertly and drilled a header past keeper Vishal Joon, beating him at the near post.

HFC did make the mistake of sitting back a bit after the goal, and to their credit, Rajasthan took the opportunity to mount attacks of their own. The pressure led to an inadvertent back-pass to the keeper and Rajasthan were awarded an indirect free-kick just outside the six-yard box.