Hyderabad FC defeated Kerala Blasters at the 2021-22 Indian Super League final, to secure their first title of the tournament. It was indeed a breathtaking match between two of the best teams who showed terrific performance throughout the tournament. Kerala has been on the final stage earlier on but failed to win the title earlier and this time as well. However, Hyderabad didn’t miss their chance to secure their first ISL title ever, and defeated their opponents in a penalty shootout, after a breathtaking match.
Factors helping Hyderabad FC to win
There are several factors for which Hyderabad FC was able to perform well throughout the tournament and eventually secured their first title of the ISL. Firstly, it was because of the incredible performance of Laxmikant Kattimani who showed his true color during the penalty shootout. Throughout the match, he performed brilliantly and saved many shots. But most importantly, in the penalty shootout, he saved three penalties, which Was a remarkable performance by the footballer.
Secondly, Hyderabad FC has better body language in the field. Though Hyderabad didn’t beat Kerala in terms of match stats, Kerala was ahead of their opposition in terms of ball possession, number of passes, and pass accuracy. But still, Hyderabad had positive body language, which helped them to stay strong till the end, and achieve victory.
Thirdly, the penalty shootout misfortune of Kerala Blasters continues. Though this isn’t a direct factor for Hyderabad winning the match, Kerala’s misfortune continues. It was a Déjà vu for the Blasters as they lost the same way in the 2016 ISL final against ATK.
Great performance by the team
It has been a great moment overall for team Hyderabad, as it always feels great to win the first title ever. They performed well throughout the tournament and did the same at the showdown as well. Kerala fought massively well too and will look forward to striking back in the next season with the aim to win the ISL trophy for sure.
