Bartholomew Ogbeche scored another brace as Hyderabad FC displayed a commanding performance to beat Neroca FC 3-0 in a Group C match of the 131st Indian Oil Durand Cup football tournament at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Tuesday.
Joel Chianese put Hyderabad ahead in the second minute, while Ogbeche shot home in the 17th and 83rd minutes. With its third win in a row, Hyderabad booked a spot in the knockout stage.
Hyderabad drew first blood early when Akash Mishra sent in a cross from the left and Ogbeche pushed it forward for Chianese slot it in.
Hyderabad’s fine passing helped it keep a good control over the match. The Indian Super League champion doubled its lead inside 20 minutes. Ogbeche’s header off a Borja Gonzalez shot from the left made it 2-0.
The match was held up as the floodlights went out for several minutes in the first half. When action resumed, the clock was pushed back to make up for the lost time.
Despite a head injury to its defender David Simbo, who was replaced after bleeding heavily, Neroca did well to check the Hyderabad forwards in the lengthy first period.
Javier Siverio’s attempt hit the crossbar in the 61st minute, but Hyderabad got its third goal when Hitesh Sharma sent back a sliding pass from the goalline on the right, and Ogbeche completed his brace late in the match.
The result: Hyderabad FC 3 (Chianese 2, Ogbeche 17, 83) vs Neroca FC 0.
