Hyderabad FC’s Laxmikant Kattimani proved to be the hero for Telugoons as he made three crucial saves in the penalty shootouts to help his side clinch their first-ever Indian Super League Title.
An almost full capacity stadium in margo which was largely filled with Kerala Blasters supporters, went home disappointed after facing a third defeat in the Indian Super League final. The match had a slow opening with neither team able to string together a sequence of paces but slowly, the Kerala Blasters’ game plan started to show its colors. And so, the ISl final deadlock was broken. Rahul KP of KBFC picked the ball up in the midfield and went for goal from outside the box, the shot was low and driven but a tiny goalkeeping error from Kattimani saw the team trailing.
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For the next quarter of the match, Hyderabad seemed like they were finished but in the 87th Minute, in came Sahil Tavora with 3 minutes plus stoppage to play. The Telugoons were awarded a freekick from deep midfield and was cleared by Kerala. Unfortunately, it fell right in the path of Tavora who kept his cool and half-volleyed it past the keeper as the ISL final went to extra time for the third time in eight years. The two sides were so tough that even after 30 minutes of extra-time, they found themselves level and the final had to come down to penalties.
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After making an error that led to KBFC’s opener, Kattimani redeemed himself in the penalty shoot outs. The 32-year-old goalkeeper made three key saves from the spot, saving penalties of Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar and Jaekson to hand Hyderabad FC their first-ever Indian Super League trophy.
After the trophy presentation, the players gave credit to head coach Mauel Marquez for the club’s success this season. Hyderabad FC’s Sahil Tavora said, “We have a coach who is demanding and he demands 100% everyday and in every game. So we know we have to be on it. For example, in the second leg against ATKMB, we didn’t do our best. He told us that today we have to put on and show and give our best and that’s what we did!”
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As for Kerala Blasters, they might have gone down in the ISL final, but there is no doubt that Ivan Vukomanovic’s side have won the hearts of football fans across the country.
[Featured Image Credit: Hyderabad FC]
Shashank Iyer