HFC spoil Chennaiyin's top-4 hopes with a 1-1 draw

Goa: Chennaiyin FC's aspirations of breaking into the top-four went up in smoke as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Hyderabad FC in a tense Hero Indian Super League game that ended in a 1-1 stalemate at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda on Thursday.

Chennaiyin went ahead through Mohd Sajid Dhot in the 13th minute but could not hold on to their slender lead till halftime as Javier Siverio (45th) continued his scoring spree with a goal on the cusp of halftime. There were no goals in the second period as Debjit Majumder made a string of saves in Chennaiyin goal and the home side put pressure in six minutes of added time for the winner but in the end, it ended all square. Hyderabad missed talisman Bartholomew Ogbeche, lacking teeth upfront as the league's top-scorer served his suspension after picking up four yellow cards.

The result means Hyderabad moved third in the table with 17 points from 11 games while Chennaiyin remained sixth having 15 points from 11 matches.

Chennaiyin nosed ahead early through an unlikely source when young defender Mohd Sajid Dhot headed in Anirudh Thapa's inch-perfect free-kick leaving Laxmikant Kattimani with no chance.

Stung by the early goal, Hyderabad got their act together and started bossing possession, also creating chances in the final third.