Hyderabad FC vs Chennaiyin FC: 5 Talking Points from the ISL Game

Chennaiyin FC started their journey in the Indian Super League with a win over Hyderabad FC at the GMC Athletic stadium on Tuesday. The two-time ISL champions narrowly beat the Nizams 1-0 in the Southern Derby, courtesy of a second-half penalty from Vladimir Koman.

Both managers fielded a strong line-up with 4-2-3-1 formations. However, Bozidar Bandovic was without the services of midfield duo Rafael Crivellaro and Germanpreet Singh. CFC struggled to adapt in the opening hour and it was all Hyderabad FC in the game. It was a dominant display from Manolo Marquez's side with some excellent football but it was CFC who ran away with the three points after the former gifted a spot-kick.

On that note, here are the five major talking points from the ISL fixture between Hyderabad FC and Chennaiyin FC:

Early blow for Hyderabad FC

Halicharan Narzary was forced to leave the field after suffering a knee injury early in the game. He injured himself in a collision with his own skipper Joao Victor while defending a corner in the third minute. Initially, after receiving treatment he seemed able to continue, but soon again in the seventh minute, he felt discomfort and was replaced by Nikhil Poojary. 

Patience pays off for Chennaiyin 

Chennaiyin FC showed a lot of patience in the game before making some searing counter-attacks in the second half. Both the teams were looking for a win in their first game and it would not be an understatement to say that Chennaiyin were lucky to get away with all three points.

Hyderabad looked like a well-choreographed team

It was evident from the team building that Hyderabad FC will have a stronger season than the previous one. The club retained its core team and coaching staff from last year and roped in quality foreigners like Juanan, Edu Garcia, and Bartholomew Ogbeche.

The experience of the overseas players' played a pivotal role for HFC. The balance and chemistry among the players were visible from the very first minute. The home side were the better side for the majority of the game, enjoyed most of the ball possession, and also had better clear-cut chances than their opponents.

Bozidar Bandovic off to a winning start

Bandovic took charge of Chennaiyin for the first time tonight and guided his team to a narrow 1-0 victory in the Southern Derby. However, the performance of his team was not very impressive and far from convincing.

They were not to concede goals in the first half as well as in the second half. The defensive unit of Chennai needs to show more composure and their goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith must improve his game to retain his position under the goal post.

However, a positive performance will offer the Supermachans a bit of optimism.