HFC in a three-way battle for qualification to the knockouts
Kolkata: It will be a decisive day for the youthful Hyderabad FC side when they take on Army Red in their final game in Group D of the Durand Cup at the VYBK Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, on Sunday. Shameel Chembakath’s side will be in for a three-way battle for the top-two spots in the group, and will hope for maximum points to secure their place in the quarterfinals.
After the initial 5-0 victory over Assam Rifles, HFC fell to a 1-0 loss to Gokulam Kerala but they still have qualification in their hands going into this final group stage game. Both Army Red and GKFC are on 4 points each and are ahead of Hyderabad FC by one point with just a game to go.
HFC can surely move into the next round with a win against Army Red, while a draw will see Coach Shameel’s side depend on the result of the other game in the group between GKFC and the already eliminated Assam Rifles, for qualification.
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Reserve Team Head Coach Shameel Chembakath says that his side will fight till very end in what promises to be an exciting clash at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium. “We have a chance to qualify and that is very important going into this game. This is going to be a crucial tie for us and we will try to give our best till the very end,” said Shameel.
Services side Army Red began their campaign with a 4-1 win over the Rifles and followed it up with a 2-2 draw against the Malabarians in the second game. They will not be an easy team to face and coach Shameel knows the importance of staying focused in this game.
“It is important that we continue our competitive attitude in this game. Army Red are strong and disciplined and we know that we have a huge challenge ahead of us,” he added.
The match kicks off at 3:00 pm IST and will be streamed live on the Addatimes app.
