[VIDEO] Post-match Press Conference - Bengaluru FC Vs Rangdajied United

Post-match press conference - listen to what the coaches have to say 

Rangdajied United - Santosh Kashyap

  

Bengaluru FC - Ashley Westwood

  

[PICS] Bengaluru FC Vs Rangdajied United FC, I-League, 2013-14

[PICS] Rangdajied United FC Practice - I-League, 2013-14

Bengaluru FC look to pocket three points

Technically Sunday’s Airtel I-League second round between Rangdajied United FC and Bengaluru FC can be touted as a battle between the newbies. However, the steel magnate Jindal-backed team has shown a lot of promise in first round against mighty Mohun Bagan. Rangdajied United on the other hand went down tamely to United Sports. 

The encouraging fact for the visitors is that they are back to the same venue from where they have started their journey. It was the same Bangalore Football Stadium this summer, where the team from the northeastern state of Meghalaya, earned permit to play I-League by winning Second Division. 

Rangdajied United’s coach Santosh Kashyap is not deterred by the loss against United Sports, “We are a young team, even in the last match we created a lot of chances. We lost that match owing to lack of experience. We have regrouped now and better prepared for tomorrow’s match!” 

Kashyap, known for his ability to perform wonders with mere average teams like Air India and ONGC is positive about the weather of the Garden City favoring them, he adds, “the current Bangalore weather is quite similar to what we have in Shillong, which will help us. Kolkata, where we played our last match was hot and humid.”

Bengaluru FC gaffer Ashley too is undeterred with the way his strikers missed chances in their last match, “As long we play like last match, keep a good work rate performance, which will be enough for us to win a game. I have no problems with the strikers missing a few opportunities up front.” 

Kashyap would be fielding a tested 4-4-2 formation, trying to present a positive and entertaining football. However, a slight muscle pull of Senegalese defender Lamine Tamba is worrying him, he will take a final call only before the start of the match. 

Fitness-level is something that Ashley is proud of his team, Bengaluru FC will be fielding a fully-fit team tomorrow with only speedy medio Thoi Singh sitting out due to the red card shown in the last match. 

[LIVE] Airtel I-League 2013-14 - Bengaluru FC Vs Rangdajied United FC

Airtel I-League 2013-14
Round 2 Sunday, September 29, 2013  Bangalore Football Stadium Kick-off: 4 pm
Scorer: John Johnson-32', Sean Rooney-57', Sunil Chhetri-66'	3	-	0	Scorer:
Bengaluru FC: Pawan Kumar; John Johnson, Curtis Osano, Keegan Perreira, Vishal Kumar; John Menyongar, Siam Hangal, Darren Caldeira; Beikhokei, Sean Rooney, Sunil Chhetri Sub: Bruno Colaco, NS Manju, Lalrozama Fanai, Rino Anto, Niroshan Mani, Robin Singh, T Amoes
Rangdajied United FC: Shambu Mistry; Poibiang Pohshna, Restomwell Khriam, Thomas Saikhom, Pratik Choudhury, Ambilstar Sin, Elam Abocha Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, T Lalnunpuia, Edmar Figueira, Yohei Iwasaki Sub: Surjay Pariyar, Pyn-shongdor Shadap, Joy Mrong Kharraswai,  Lalding-ngheta, Sandesh Gadkari, Bansharai Sun, Munmum Timothy Lugun
LIVE UPDATES
90+4 - beep-beep-beep, final whistle from ref, after missing several chances in the first half, BFC converted a couple in the second half, over all a satisfying win for the Jindal-sponsored team!  90 4 mins added  82.40 BIG CHEER - local lad BFC's Niroshan Mani replaces another local hero Vishal Kumar  80 Meanwhile BFC have made couple of changes, Robin Singh and Rino Anto has come in for Rooney and Sam respectively   74' Official head count for today's match is 7100, however, looks like there were more crowd on last Sunday, against Mohun Bagan. 68' Sunil Chhetri this time - 3-0 57' Sean Rooney scores the second 2-0 46' match resumes after lemon break  45+1 lemon time.... By far the host team is displayed a better game. RUFC is no where. RUFC's Kashyap has to do some talking to his boys.     45 1 min of added time 43 good move from mid, Menyongar > Chhetri > Darren > Beikho, the later shots wide. easy chance. 34.50 Corner for RUFC, Lyngdoh takes it, squandered 31.40 GOAAAAL - the moment comes, finally, Defender John Johnson heads from a Beikho corner, and stadium errupts! Not before Beikho's shot was save goal line        30 looks like a pretty one sided affair, RUFC on defensive mode, and BFC must have scored by now  25.40 Rooney scores, but he's caught offside, despair for BFC fans, a big boo for the linesman!  25 freekick for BFC, keeper Mistry makes a valiant save form a goal mouth melee.  20 a good built up by BFC after Vishal throw, Chhetri manages to pass to upcoming Keepan, his long ranger misses the post     18.58 throw in for RUFC 17 Pratik fouls Beikho, shown yellow card  15.22 corner for BFC, Beikho to take 12.30 corner for BFC, Johnson's header cleared.  12 BFC is attacking consistently!    11.15 throw again for BFC, ohh, Rooney almost scored, keeper was out of position, Rooney header cleared by Poibang! 9.42 Pratik fouls Darren, earns a warning from ref.  8 throw in for BFC, vishal takes a long one  4 Yohei tries to get in solo in a BFC's crowded defense  2.50' Chherti misses a header, a good counter from RUFC  2' Rooney fouled, freekick from a good position,  1' RUFC attack from right flank. forces a freekick. 00:01' Match starts 3.56 pm - RUFC kicking off, attacking from left to right. 3.51 pm - Lamine Tamba is injured, not in the team today. 3:46 pm - RUFC will be playing in 4-4-2 formation.  3:45 pm - Looks like BFC gaffer is going for a kill, formation seems to be 4-3-3, with three strikers Beikho, Chhetri, and Rooney  Hello folks, GCSStars.com will go live from 3.30 pm, well before the kick-off!

Former Leeds United ‘keeper help out Bengaluru FC's goalies

Bengaluru FC press release

Furthering its endeavor to give a professional edge to everything Bengaluru FC does, the club has roped in the assistance of Dejan Milosevic who is helping out ’keepers Pawan Kumar, Bruno Colaco and Ricardo Cardozo. Australian Milosevic’s twelve years as a professional goalkeeper included a five-season stint at English side Leeds United. 

“I’ve interacted with the ’keepers at the club and what I see is plenty of potential. They are willing to learn and to do well,” said the 35-year-old who will be helping the young ’keepers out for a fortnight. On why he chose to come over to India and lend his expertise, Milosevic says the buzz about the club was a big reason. “It’s a brand new club and the team that Ashley Westwood has built looks exciting. More importantly, this opportunity has given me the chance to test myself as a coach,” said Milosevic.

With Pawan being the oldest among the three at 23, Milosevic felt age was the biggest advantage. “If these youngsters follow a process set for them, there is no telling where they can reach.” 

The former Perth Glory ’keeper is also testing his new brand of goalkeeper gloves called XSENTR1Q. “We are coming up with complete goalkeeper solutions and the gloves are a part of it. We are getting the ’keepers to use and are taking feedback as to where we could get better,” he said. 

[VIDEO] Bengaluru FC vs Mohun Bagan - match highlights (Courtesy: SportskeedaTV)

Enjoy the highlights of the Bengaluru FC vs Mohun Bagan match played last Sunday at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

[NOTICE] Players’ passes for I-League

The players’ passes for I-League issued by the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) have been withdrawn. Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) will be issuing the new passes. All the the affiliated clubs are informed by BDFA to handover the photos to KSFA. 

[PICS] Bengaluru FC Vs Mohun Bagan, I-League, 2013-14

The Impressive look of Bangalore Football Stadium 

The North stand, just minutes to fill the entire stand!

Other end

The East stand for now unsafe use 

Katsumi took the penalty after he was brought down be Keegan, Pawan Kumar makes a brilliant save

This Rooney of I-League takes a freekick

Airborne Sandip Nandy, makes a valiant save from Rooney's free-kick

Now its a reciprocation, Keegan was brought this time, Sandeep saves Rooney's penalty shot

Bengaluru FC put up an impressive show, Sabeeth rescue Mohun Bagan after scoring a goal at the dying moment

If you have not followed our minute-minute live commentary, here it is for you again - http://tinyurl.com/ntzchlx 

Bengaluru FC were minutes short of crowning a fairy-tale start to their debut I-League season, but with CS Sabeeth scoring in the dying moments, Mohun Bagan neutralized a second half strike from Sean Rooney, and the visiting team shared honors with debutants Bengaluru FC in the First Round of their Airtel I-league encounter at the packed Bangalore Football Stadium today. 

It was the home team that drew first blood in the 49th minute of the match, when their Aussie striker Sean Rooney poked home against the run of play. 
And just when it looked that the home side was heading for a dream debut, CS Sabeeth spoilt the perfect party as the Bagan striker headed a ball into the Bengaluru FC net deep into second half stoppage time. 

Earlier both the teams missed one penalty each as the two teams had to be satisfied with one point each – offenders being Mohun Bagan’s Katsumi Yusa in the first half and Bengaluru FC’s Rooney post the breather, the latter ruing the chance to cap a brace for his new club. 

Despite playing their first match, it was the home side that started strongly penetrating into the Bagan box within the first five minutes of play. 

The visitors then came back strongly thanks to some brilliant ball play by Katsumi in the midfield. Despite missing the penalty early on, Bagan managed to create some chances but failed to find the back of the net. 

The closest they came to scoring in the first half apart from the penalty was in the 21st minute when Sabeeth’s shot was saved by Bengaluru FC keeper Pawan Kumar. The hosts were unlucky when John Johnson’s header hit the post in the 34th minute. 

In the second half, Bagan started showing nerves early on as they conceded the goal and then a penalty. Trailing 1-0, they pressed hard for the equalizer but were unlucky a couple of times. Katsumi hit the woodwork in the 60th and 69th minute respectively. 

Sunil Chhetri who came in as a substitute for the hosts in the second half got a great opportunity in the 83th minute, but his shot went past the goal post.  
One minute later, Siam Hangal got a golden opportunity to make it 2-0 for the hosts, but he failed to round off the goalkeeper. 

The hosts were reduced to ten men in the 90th when Thoi Singh was shown a red card following his second booking. 

Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa was happy with the result and admitted that Bengaluru FC would be the team to watch this season. “They gave a really good account of themselves and will be the team to watch. In a month you will come back and tell me that we earned a point here,” he said. 

Westwood was a bit disappointed at not having walked away with three points he thought his boys deserved. "We do feel hard done but that's how it is. We played some good football but were left to rue our finishing. The boys have worked hard all through pre-season and its showing. The crowd was fantastic today and we want them to keep backing us like the way they did," said Westwood. 

[LIVE] Airtel I-League 2013-14 - Bengaluru FC Vs MohunBagan

Airtel I-League 2013-14
Round I   Kick-off: 4 pm
Scorer:  Rooney (50')	1	-	1	Scorer: Sabeeth (90'+1')
Bengaluru FC: Pawan Kumar; Vishal, John Johnson, Curtis Osano, Keegan; Siam; Thoi, Malemn; Beikho; John Menyyongar; Sean Rooney Sub: Bruno Colaco, Sunil Chettri, Fanai, Robin Singh, Norishan Mani, Rino Anto, Manju
McDowels MohunBagan: Sandip Nandi; Eche, Aibor, Sali, Zakeer; Denson, Adil, Katsumi, Ravinder; Sabeeth, Eric Sub: Shilton, Kinshuk, Rowilson, Shankar, Borges, Ram Malik, Rajob Ghorui
LIVE UPDATES
90+4' ref blows the final whistle - Lucky escape for @mohunbaganclub, @bengalurufc  must be ruing for the missed chances! 90+3 corner from Bagan, wasted! 90+1: G-O-O-A-L - came out of the blue for Bagan, Sabeth heads from a corner   90 Thoi gets a double booking - show the door - Red Card  89.30' Sabeeth fouls John Johnson - Yellow  89' Corner for BFC, Chherti taking it 87' Shankar fouls Keegan, he's down on the ground. 84' Something is really wrong with Bagan defense, and BFC is missing the easiest of the chances!  83' Aibor misses Robin's center from right flank, Chhetri misses a sitter of a chance! 81' Last change for BFC -Robin in IN Malemn OUT 80' Kareem has probably thrown the last dice - going for 4-3-3 79' Shankar Oraon IN looks like Adil OUT 76' BFC playing far more organized fashion, good passing game in second half.  74' Anto brought down by Nicolau, freekick for BFC  73' Lovely display by the Manipuri  midfield duo - Thoi and Malemn, equally good clearence from Eche! 71' Substitution for BFC Rino Anto IN Vishal OUT 70' Match attendance - 6,500, impressive!  68' Yusa's shot hits the post, almost equalized for Bagan  67' Adil Khan fouled, freekick for Bagan, Yusa to take. 66' corner for BFC, Malem it is, wasted  64' Corner tamely cleared, falls in Rooney feet, his shot goes wide. 63' a hurried attack from BFC, Kinshuk defends, corner 61' Iche lying in ground, game halted 60' Yusa again, great move from right, his poowerful shot hit the post!  59' Great move from Chhetri, Siam Hangal lob, goes wide 56' Big cheer for the National Captain 55' Substitution for BFC Sunil Chhetri IN Beikhho OUT 53' Nicolau IN Ravinder OUT 51' Sean Rooney's shot saved by Sandip Nandy!  51' Keegan fouled by Iche inside the box, PENALTY  50' G-O-O-O-A-L, Vishal kumar's thru Rooney makes in 1-0 48' Katsumi barges the middle-third, passes to the Sabbeth, long shot desn't trouble keeper.  46' Katsumi brought down, freekick for Bagan 46' 2nd half starts, Kingshuk IN Sali OUT half-time analysis  - home team looked a much fitter team, they've impressed all, Bagan lucky to survive so far,  - other than the penalty shot, the BFC keeper has been barely tested 45' +1 min added time 44' both the Bagan strikers are looking off, unable convert any chances  44' Corner for Bagan, cleared by Big John Johnson  43' Great diving save from Bagan custodian Nandy from Rooney's freekick.  42' Sali foules Malen - Yellow  41' Good skill from Vintage Johnny, caght bagan defense napping. 40' Katsumi tries a solo, misses by mile 37' Midfield is just not working for Bagan, Katsumi is looking frustrated! 36' Lucky save for Bagan, Denson's poor clearance w gave a chance for John Johnson to head, Sandip was out of sight, the ball hit the post.  35' BFC controlling the midfield, Siam, brought down by Sali 28' Good coordination in left flank by BFC. 27' Denson's freekick missed by a whisker, a good one! 26' Adil brought down by John, freekick for Bagan from a good spot 22' Katsumi is the only one who's looking impressive, creates a chance for Sabeeth, the later takes a feeble shot  21' back to corners for BFC 20' Good move after a sloppy clearance from Bagan midfield  19' Corner for Bagan, Denson takes it, cleared out... 17' Aibor fouls Thio - Yellow card 16' match restarts 15' fouls Keegan lying in deep pain, Wahid Sali fouled him.    13' Penalty miss should cost Bagan dear, BFC ready to utilize the opportunity.  10' And Pawan Kumar saves it... a straight bad shot from the Japanese.  8' What- ohh my, Katsumi brought down be Keegan, it a PENALTY for Bagan, Katsumi it is/... 7' Eric in counter, ball collected by goalie.  6' Exciting game in offing, Beikho on prowl.  4' BFC pressing hard, a goalline save from MMB, managed a corner  but in vain. 2' Keegan brought down, freekick for BFC, Denson clears it. 0': Historic moment for BFC and the match kick's off, they're attacking from left to right! Bagan seems to be playing the tried and tested 4-4-2 combination. BFC 4-5-1, and they's left Chhetri from the starting XI.  well-well-well, Beikho seems to be the other striker

8

[PICS] MohunBagan Practice - I-League, 2013-14

 

We’ll go out and enjoy the game: Ashley Westwood

Telecom giant Airtel’s association with I-League brought a breath of fresh air in Indian Football, Bangalore Football Stadium is sporting a new look thanks Jindal Steel Works-Bengaluru FC’s association with Indian Football. Amidst all positives, football is back in the Garden City. 

Round 1 – Bengaluru FC vs. Mohun Bagan – game on…

Talking to the press, Bengaluru FC gaffer, Ashley Westwood spoke highly about his team’s fitness level after strenuous 10-weeks of pre-season camp. They managed to see few match videos of their opponent from last season, but that might not help them much as 13 out of the 18 players in the current Bagan squad in Bangalore are new recruits. 

Team spirit is something the Steelmen is banking highly on. Any specific concern with the team? The graduate of the Manchester United Academy response was straight, “We are not Manchester United, nor we have players like Messi, we perhaps need to improve in all areas”. 

The message from the newly entrant I-League team is loud and clear – there is no expectations from the team, just go out and enjoy the game, and give fans an entertaining game! 

Mohun Bagan has hit a bumpy patch at the starting of the season, they’ve lost points in their last two encounters in Calcutta Football League. Winless before starting I-League, will that be a concern for Kareem? The Moroccan who has already spent seven seasons in I-league compared the journey of 1000 km, whereas Mohun Bagan has just completed 10 km. 

Kareem agrees that the journey has not begun in a smooth fashion, this has been a wakeup call for the team, and can do better from here. The big challenge lies for him is to transform this team to a cohesive unit. Team’s influence, on and off the field, Odafa Okoli is out injured for the first few matches in I-league.   

Kareem showered praise on Bengaluru FC management, “These guys brought a lot of professionalism in Bangalore Football, which is a rarity among the other I-League clubs. I’m quite impressed the way the stadium has come up.” 

He is quite happy that the Garden City, in spite having a football culture, didn't have any regular I-League team. The career path among the city footballers were limited, very few have courage to pack their bags and go outside. Fortunately now, Bengaluru FC will be giving them the space. 

Ryan International School lifts 3rd Parikrma Champions League Equality Cup

Two schools from the Garden City, Inventure Academy and Ryan International School played an exciting match at the finals of the Parikrma Champions League. Both the teams scored a goal each in the regulation time. The extra time of 10 minutes yielded no results and finally the winner was decided on tie-breaker. 

In the Penalty shootout, Ryan International School scored all 5. 
A friendly game was played for the CEO’s of different organisations such as Invneture, Embassy, Identity, Adobe etc. against Parikrma All-stars team which included a mix of students from the participating schools of the tournament. 

Parikrma Champions League had the closing ceremony after the finals with a grand performance by the students of Parikrma Humanity Foundation. Different forms of dance from Kathakali to freestyle to hula hoop, it was a delight to watch them shake their legs. To give away prices at the ceremony we had special guests from the sports fraternity like Indian Football Captain, Sunil Chetri, sports commentator, Charu Sharma, and KSFA/BDFA officials. 

• Player of the tournament: Tej Veer Rehki
• Best coach: Jenny Freddy
• Best playmaker: Prashant Eshwar, Parikrma Centre for Learning
• Best defender: Haas Krishna, Ryan International School
• Fairplay award: St.Micheal’s School, Kerala

Winner of 3rd Parikrma Champions League - Ryan International School