Hyderabad FC and ATK Mohun Bagan played out a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg of their ISL 2022-23 semifinal clash at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Thursday, 9 March.
The hosts began the game on the front foot, with Vishal Kaith called into action multiple times in the opening half an hour. The Mariners, led by Slavo Damjanovic, however, were resolute at the back and kept the scores level.
Hyderabad FC started really brightly with the home crowd behind them, and it was visible on the field as well, as they were playing with added confidence. They kept the ball well and created a few openings, but their best chance fell to Joel Chianese who did everything right, but Vishal Kaith showed some excellent reflexes to keep the scores level. At the fag end of the half, ATKMB began to find their stride, and Pritam Kotal had a golden opportunity, but the crossbar denied him. Their plan is to sit deep and hit HFC on the counter, but this could backfire as they are allowing the home side to put pressure on them. They need to be a bit more aggressive to force HFC to do things differently. However, Hyderabad FC had Bartholomew Ogbeche on their bench, and he could have been a game-changer in this game.
The game was a prime example of why both these sides have the best defenses in the Hero ISL and with their 11th clean sheet each, they equal the record for most clean sheets in a single Hero ISL season. Coming to the game then, HFC dominated proceedings early in the first half but the best chance of the half fell to Pritam Kotal who was smartly nudged at the right moment by Borja Herrera to keep the scores level. In the second half, there were a couple of chances for either side with Mohammad Yasir hitting the outside of the post in the 55th minute. But once again ATKMB had the best chance with Manvir Singh going for glory rather than sliding it across the face of goal. The final few minutes saw HFC dominated possession heavily but with the last kick of the game, Dimitri Petratos almost pulled off the unthinkable. ATKMB stole the ball on the near side and Petratos was played through the middle. Petratos saw Gurmeet Singh just off his line from 40 yards out and unleashed a sensational volley but Gurmeet saw it all the way and made a comfortable save. With no away goals to add pressure, the 2nd leg of this tie is set up to be an enthralling encounter.
The game ultimately ended with both teams failing to find the net. However, it sets up an exciting second-leg tie at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday, 13 March.