Bengaluru ease past Sporting Clube

Bengaluru FC Media  
  
A first-half brace by Sean Rooney and an acrobatic finish from substitute Beikhokhei less than 10 minutes from time gave Bengaluru FC a 3-1 win over Sporting Clube de Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Saturday.

Dominant in a game where his team had more than just a say, Ashley Westwood handed Rooney his first start after a sore groin saw him miss two League games and the striker justified the gaffer’s faith with the pair. Bengaluru wasted no time in making little of Sporting’s home advantage with quick passes and constant threats from the flanks.

Relentless in pursuit of a goal and healthy in possession, Bengaluru finally got what they were chasing in the 29th minute. Bombing down the left, Lalchhuanmawia sent in a cross that missed a leaping Robin Singh only to fall at Rooney’s feet. The striker smartly chose composure over impulse before picking his corner and coolly dinking the ball beyond Ravi Kumar.

Rooney, who turns 26 on Sunday, scored his second in the first minute of added time. Placing the ball 30 yards out after Eugeneson Lyngdoh was hacked down, Rooney’s take beat Kumar all ends up. The Australian's strike had a touch of history to it as the first goal scored from a free-kick for Bengaluru FC.

With trips to Mumbai and Indonesia over the next 10 days, Westwood decided to pull Rooney off for Beikhokhei Beingaichho at half-time and brought on Siam Hanghal for Lyngdoh a little ahead of the hour mark.

Not making much of the two-goal lead, Bengaluru kept making dangerous forays into the Sporting box. However, it was the hosts who scored against the run of play through substitute Anthony Wolfe. Picking the ball up from an Ogba Kalu header, Wolfe beat a high line of defence before his lob sailed over a charging Lalthuammawia Ralte, and bounced into an open goal.

Refusing to sit pretty with possession, Bengaluru kept storming the Sporting box for a third. Robin and Beingaichho were both beaten to the ball from a delightful Lalchhuanmawia cross as the Sporting defence kept soaking in the charge by the visitors. However, the pressure was proving too much to sustain and Beingaichho eventually got the goal that put the game beyond question.

Picked out by Hanghal down the right, Robin sent in a cross that Chhetri hit on target only to see the ball come off a defender and loop perfectly for Beingaichho to acrobatically volley home and kill any chance of sharing a point Sporting wouldn’t have deserved.  

Bengaluru FC take on tough Sporting Clube Goa

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC begin a slew of vital away games over the next two weeks with a trip to Goa where they take on bottom-placed Sporting Clube de Goa at the Fatorda Stadium, on Saturday. The Blues, who travel to play Mumbai FC (March 3) and Indonesian side Persipura Jayapura (March 10), will be keen to start the challenging schedule on the right note against a side that's yet to register a win in the League.

Ashley Westwood’s team put aside the disappointment of a 1-4 League defeat at Mohun Bagan to give Bengaluru their first win in Asian football – a 2-1 result over Maldivian side Maziya S&RC at the Kanteerava Stadium, on Tuesday. Shankar Sampingiraj scored a dramatic injury-time winner after Sunil Chhetri scored his second goal in as many games in a victory that Bengaluru will look to use as a springboard.

Though Bengaluru enjoy a 3-0 record over Sporting across competitions, the Blues will be wary of the Goa club who will throw all they have in pursuit of their first win in the League this season. “Sporting Clube are a good side and capable of producing good performances as we saw in the 1-1 draw they had against Pune. Despite being a goal down, they clawed back into the game and for the last half hour, looked like the team that deserved the win. They have good foreigners among their ranks and though their position on the table isn’t the best, we know we will have to churn out a good performance to get something out of this game,” said Westwood on the eve of the game.

The Fatorda has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues who lifted the I-League and Federation Cup titles with wins at the Stadium and are yet to lose a game here.  In fact, the last time the two teams met was at the same venue in the semifinal of the Federation Cup where Bengaluru came away with a 3-0 result.

On the injury front, Bengaluru seem to be without much worry. Sean Rooney, who missed a couple of games with a sore groin, made an appearance as a substitute in the AFC Cup win that also saw the return of Lalchhuanmawia and Rino Anto.  A call on midfielder Joshua Walker, who limped out of the same game with a thigh strain, will be taken by Westwood on Saturday morning. 

File Pic

[Pic Gallery] AFC Cup - Bengaluru FC vs Maziya S&RC

Shankar's timely header ends late drama as Bengaluru start AFC Cup campaign with a win

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC scripted a historic and drama-filled first win in Asian competition when Shankar Sampingiraj headed home in 93rd minute to give the Blues a 2-1 win over Maldivian side Maziya S&RC in a Group E opener of the AFC Cup at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday. 

Having bossed all of the game, Bengaluru looked like cruising to three points after a 67th-minute header by Sunil Chhetri gave the Blues a lead they fully deserved. But a John Johnson handball in the box three minutes from time saw the visitors equalise when Mohamed Umair scored from the spot. 

However, falling back on the resilience that has seen them through many tough situations, Bengaluru got their winner when Shankar nodded home Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s freekick to send the BFC faithful into raptures. 

Bengaluru suffered an early set-back when less than twenty minutes into the game, Westwood had to pull Joshua Walker off after the midfielder was struggling with what seemed like a strained thigh. The forced substitution almost turned out to be an ace when Siam Hanghal’s rasping strike from 25-yards out, took the fingertips of Maziya goalkeeper Imran before crashing the crossbar and going out. 

Walker’s absence didn’t seem to deter the Blues who were all over Maziya in a fantastic first half show that had everything but a goal. Shankar, who started in midfield for a rested Thoi Singh, had a header tipped over before Robin Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh had chances in quick succession. 

Bengaluru refused to take their foot off the pedal, coming all guns blazing at Maziya as soon as the second half resumed. Chhetri came agonizingly close twice inside ten minutes. Being perfectly picked by a Rino Anto cross in the 48th minute, Chhetri glanced a header that was headed home before Imran pulled off a brilliant save to deny the skipper. However, the Anto-Chhetri combination was destined a goal on the night and it came from a header. Meeting Anto’s perfect cross from the right, Chhetri thumped home a header that beat Imran all ends up. 

Bengaluru’s next Cup game is an away tie to Indonesia where they play Persipura Jayapura on March 10. 

Bengaluru take on Maziya, Maldives in AFC Cup tomorrow

Bangalore Football has witnessed clubs from Iraq in the mid-70s in Stafford Challenge Cup. The Stafford Challenge Cup which started in the late-20s and continued till the late-80s, albeit irregular. Not to forget the Super Soccer Series, promoted by Tata Steel in the late-80s and early 90s which saw top-class football from PSV Eindhoven, VfL Bochum, FC Sao Paulo. 

Competitive club game comes to Bangalore as namma Bengaluru FC (BFC) take on Maziya Sports & Recreation Club, Maldives in AFC Cup tomorrow, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. 

Maziya confirmed an AFC Cup slot this year after defeating Ceres De Salle FC, Philippines in a play-off. BFC was defeated in a closely contested AFC Champions League preliminary play-off tie against Johor Darul Ta’zim FC. Both the teams are placed in group E along with Persipura Jayapura (Indonesia) and Warriors FC (Singapore). 

Maziya have been playing since January, Coach Ali Suzain reckons, “team is in good shape.” He adds, “BFC is definitely a good team with Captain Sunil Chhetri, foreign players, and en energetic coach. They’ve proved last year by winning I-League and Federation Cup early this year. We have to respect them but if we play in our way, we can do a lot.” 

Maziya had played in AFC cup two years back, would that experience help them, “Maybe BFC have not played AFC Cup earlier as it is newly formed outfit, but mind it they have a good team. To me experience does not count. It is all about the players and coaches who are involved.” 

The team comprises of countries top striker Assadhulla Abdulla (Captain), two foreign players from Europe and one from Japan. 

Talking to the media persons, an Assadhulla Abdulla, captain of Maziya exuberantly said, “we are in good form, players are enjoying their stay in Bangalore, and ready to face the home team tomorrow.” 

BFC gaffer Ashley Westwood is not reading much into last week’s away defeat against Mohun Bagan 1-4, “The score line would not probably give you the actual picture of the match. We had our momentary lapses, mostly due to individual mistake”, said gaffer. 

Tomorrows match should mark the return of Rino Anto and Sean Rooney, both were out in the last could of I-League games owing to injury and central defender Curtis Osano. 

Match is slated for a 7.30 pm start.  

Norde's brace helps Bagan beat Bengaluru

Bengaluru FC and AIFF Media

Haiti international Sony Norde's brace and a goal from Katsumi Yusa five minutes from time brought a halt to Bengaluru FC’s three-game unbeaten run as the Kolkata club beat the Blues 4-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, on Friday. 

Bengaluru scored from the first chance they had in the match in the sixth minute. Eugeneson Lyngdoh did well to nutmeg Dhanachandra Singh down the right before whipping in a cross across the face of the goal. Debjit Majumder who was in the Mariners’ goal missed the flight completely allowing Sunil Chhetri to head in from point blank.

Mohun Bagan managed to equalize at the half hour mark. The goal stemmed from some poor goal-keeping from Ralte. After Manju elected to play it back to the keeper, he passed it short to Johnson, instead of clearing his lines. The pass had too little pace on it, allowing Norde to seize the opportunity. The winger took his time, and smashed it past a hapless Ralte into the far corner.

The second half was pretty bereft of chances even though the Mariners looked to press on their advantage. Even though Sony Norde and Pierre Boya often combined well, the final pass often let them down. Sanjoy Sen’s boys got a chance in the 74th minute when Sehnaj Singh sent in a long ball to the far corner. Sony Norde did well to hold onto the ball before hitting the side netting.

It was only two minutes later that the team had the lead courtesy Sony Norde. Bikaramjit Singh and Norde exchanged a one two on the half line before Bikramjit played a lovely weighted through ball to send Norde clean through. The Haitian took his time before calmly side footing the ball into the far post. 

Henceforth, it got only better for the Kolkata side as Norde added another assist to his bag, four minutes before half time. He held off Lyngdoh before sending in a lovely cross, which took a deflection off John Johnson setting it up perfectly for Katsumi Yusa on the far post. The Japanese managed to head it into the open goal with ease.

Bikramjit Singh added the icing on the cake in the added time. Like before, Norde and Bikramjit exchanged a one two on the half line before Bikramjit went galloping down the middle before unleashing a fierce shot with his left foot. It was a goalkeeping howler that got him the goal though, with Ralte getting a hand to the ball but allowing it to fall into the goal from his grasp.

Sony Norde was adjudged the Hero of the Match! 

Bengaluru take on Mohun Bagan tomorrow

AIFF and Bengaluru FC Media 

McDowell’s Mohun Bagan will be hosting the defending champ Bengaluru FC in a Round 7 Hero I-League match on Friday evening. This match also marks Bengaluru FC's return to the Salt Lake Stadium on the back of three solid wins. 

The Mariners played out a 1-1 draw against arch-rivals East Bengal two days back and are one of the only two sides in the league not to have faced a defeat yet. They are now standing in the middle with eight points from their four matches, consecutive wins in the next two matches can take them to the top of the table. 

Ashley Westwood was pleased with the way his team went about things in the 2-0 win against Shillong Lajong last week despite playing most of the game with 10 men but said that the boys were focused on the game against a good Bagan side. “We played Bagan in the Federation Cup and though the game ended a draw, it was a good and solid team that we came up against,” said Westwood at the pre-match press conference. 

Sanjoy Sen, the coach of the team revealed that he will make a couple of changes in the first XI against the Blues. 

Bengaluru will be without central defender Curtis Osano who was sent off in the win over Lajong and NS Manju is expected to partner John Johnson at the back instead. They will hope that Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the side will be back to his usual self soon. 

Westwood made little of the observation, “He is our best player and is in the best phase as a player with us at Bengaluru FC. If that means other players scoring because teams are focusing on blanking him out, it doesn’t worry me.” 

A win in this match will take Bengaluru to the top of the ladder, while Mohun Bagan can reach the second spot with a match in hand. The teams have faced each other thrice in the past, with Bengaluru winning the bragging rights once, while on the other two occasions, they had to share the spoils. 

The match between McDowell's Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC is slated to start tomorrow, Friday, 20, 7 PM, at Salt Kale Stadium, Kolkata. 

Bengaluru carry on their momentum, crush Lajong

10-men down Bengaluru FC showed no sign of any protective-approach and they trounced Shillong Lajong FC 2-0 at the Kanteerava Stadium.

BFC looked sharp on the pitch today, midfield performed smoothly, and set balls up for Robin.

Robin Singh came close to goal scoring in the very first minute, he then forced a corner. In a counter from Shillong, Durga Boro set one for Cornell Glenn, which the later shot wide.

Past few minutes, a goal-bound melee from Beikhokhei’s floater which Robin Singh failed to convert. From then on they raided opposition’s defense at regular intervals. 

Local boy Shankar got a memorable start in the Hero I-League, his precision center from the right flank helped Robin Singh to score his first home goal of the season.

Last five minutes of the first half proved taxing for the Steelmen. Central defender Curtis Osano was shown the red card after committing a serious challenge on Cornell Glenn. That was by another drama when BFC keeper Ralte failed to collect the ball cleanly, Seimilen Doungel failed to latch on to the opportunity. That could have given the much-needed equalizer for the visitors. 

Robin got another chance in the second minute post lemon break, a sloppy work in defense from Nim Dorjee gave the tall striker to score his double, which he couldn’t convert. 

Playing with 10 men, BFC gaffer sacrificed a midfielder for a central defender. However, that did not refrain from taking industrious attempts. Perhaps that resulted in the second goal when Thoi Singh scored one from Eugenson Lyngdoh’s perfect cross.  

The visitors left listless in the second half. 

Thoi Singh was awarded the Man of the Match.

Bengaluru to continue with the winning momentum

Less than a week after recording their first home win in the Hero I-League, the Blues from the Garden City are back at their Fortress when they meet Shillong Lajong FC tomorrow. 

The team from Meghalaya did not have the best of the start - 3 losses and only a win after making the best finish (Sixth) in previous season! 

Speaking to media, Shillong coach Thangboi Singto attributed the struggle to his foreign players, “Most of the time foreigners make difference in I-League, unfortunately for us, foreigners joined late. We've only 3 for now, fourth foreigner is yet to join us.”, said Thangboi. 

With the motto of the promoting football in North-East, the team comprise of players only from North-East barring foreigners and goalkeepers.

The newly laid natural turf of the match venue has failed to impress Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood. The gaffer is not mincing words, “This pitch is perhaps the worst pitch in the country.” He adds, “Not a good surface - uneven and bumpy, deepened by the dew-factor of the night, which causes the ball to move fast.” 

In keeper Lalthuammawia Ralte, defender Lalchhuan Mawia, and medio Eugeneson Lyngdoh Bengaluru have several players in their starting lineup who were once a part of Shillong Lajong FC. That would help the visitors as they are aware of their playing style. However, Thangboi overturned the theory, “tomorrow’s match is not about individuals, Bengaluru play as a unit.”, quipped coach. 

Shillong defender Robing Gurung sprained his thigh muscle, he seems to be 50-50 for tomorrow's encounter. 

The match between Bengaluru FC and Shillong Lajong FC is slated to start tomorrow, Saturday, 14 PM, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore. 

[EVENT] Sports Sante at Decathlon Anubhava

In an occasion that claims to discover many new sports with your family and friends, Decathlon Anubhava invites to Sports Sante event - a sports festival for all at Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22 at Decathlon Anubhava. 

Register for free from their FaceBook page. 

BDFA A Division League 2014-15 - Fixture & Results

Teams 

1. KSP (Karnataka State Police)
2. Jawahar Union
3. BUFC (Bangalore United FC)
4. Bangalore Independents
5. AGORC
6. Tilak Memorial 
7. SAI (Sports Authority of India)
8. LRDE (Radar Electronics Development  Establishment)
9. Income Tax
10. Bangalore Eagles 

Schedule 

1. Feb 9, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 0 Vs SAI 1 (Neeraj Singh-49')
2. Feb 10, 2015, 1.30 pm: AGORC 1 (Murali-33') Vs Income Tax 3 (Jaganath-2', Shivakumar-58', Joseph-70')
3. Feb 11, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 3 (Raghu-13', 58', Surender-80'+2') Vs Bangalore Eagles 2 (Satish-30', 41') * Matches on Feb 12 and Feb 13 stand cancelled owing to unavailability of Bangalore Football Stadium
4. Feb 14, 2015, 1.30 pm: SAI 6 (Neeraj Singh-24', 43', T Bhutia-34', Deepak Singh-44', Goutam Singh-70', Rajib Singh-76') Vs AGORC 0  
5. Feb 15, 2015, 1.30 pm: Jawahar Union 1 (Dhruv Warrior-70') Vs BUFC 1 (Clivert- 72')
6. Feb 16, 2015, 1.30 pm: LRDE 4 (Edwin George-52nd', Saravana Lokesh-60', Murthy-79', Ganesh-80'+1') Vs Tilak Memorial 1 (Goutham -73') 
7. Feb 17, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 1 (Manojkumar-71') Vs KSP 1 (Arunkumar-80') 
8. Feb 20, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 1 (ArunKumar-51') Vs Bangalore Eagles 4 (Sathishkumar, Stephen-55', 69'; Sunil-68')
9. Feb 21, 2015, 1.30 pm: LRDE 1 (Milton-36') Vs BUFC 3 (Olorun Femi Gmma-1', 7', 38')
10. Feb 24, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 2 (Zabi-2', Shivakumar-53') Vs Tilak Memorial 1 (Rajesh-13') 
11. Feb 25, 2015, 1.30 pm: SAI 5 (Neeraj Singh-26', 49', 57', 66', Sabir Khan-91') Vs Jawahar Union 1 (Athul-10')  
12. Feb 26, 2015, 1.30 pm: BUFC 2 (Madhu-63', Clivert-69') Vs Bangalore Eagles 0 
13. Feb 27, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 1 (Srinath-57') Vs LRDE 0 
14. Feb 28, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 1 (Leo-36') Vs SAI 1 (Md. Razak-37') 
15. Mar 1, 2015, 1.30 pm: AGORC 4 (Nabeel-8', 55', Santhosh-5',17') Vs Tilak Memorial 1 (Rajesh-71') 
16. Mar 2, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 5 (Joseph Daniel-46', 57', AD Kumar-63', Stephen-79', Jaganathan-80'+1') Vs LRDE 0   
17. Mar 3, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 1 (Pradeep Sr.-56) Vs Jawahar Union 0     
18. Mar 6, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 2 (Emmanuel-28', Leo-39') Vs BUFC 4 (Naresh-21' ,34', Zabi-26', 55' OG-Leo)
19. Mar 7, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 4 (Joseph Daniel- 6', 4', Shivakumar-28', Lokesh M -66') Vs Bangalore Eagles 1 (Praveen David-40')
20. Mar 8, 2015, 8 am: Tilak Memorial 3 (Darshan-4',12', Ahmed-39')) Vs SAI 4 (Goutham Singh-30', Deepak Singh-49', 51', Neeraj Singh-53' 
21. Mar 8, 2015, 10 am: AGORC 2 (Janaki Ram-17', Nabeel-80'+2') Vs Jawahar Union 2 (Ajith-57', 60')  
22. Mar 8, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 0 Vs LRDE 1 (Satish–54')
23. Mar 9, 2015, 3.30 pm: KSP  0 Vs BUFC 0  
24. Mar 10, 2015, 1.30 pm: Tilak Memorial 0 Vs Income Tax 3 (Shivakumar-26', Stevenson-47', AD Kumar-76')
25. Mar 11, 2015, 1.30 pm: AGORC 2 (Nabeel -36', Raju-61') Vs Bangalore Eagles 3 (Satishkumar-42', 46', Stephen-55')
26. Mar 12, 2015, 1.30 pm: LRDE 2 (Satish-55', 59') Vs SAI 5 (Neeraj Singh-28', 47', 61, Sabir Khan-27', Rajib Deb-41')
27. Mar 13, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 0 Vs Jawahar Union 4 (Zaib Shariff-10', 31, Ajith Miranda-27', 40')  
28. Mar 14, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 3 (Stevanson-12', 14', Shivakumar-36') Vs BUFC 1 (Emmanuel-38')
29. Mar 17, 2015, 1.30 pm: Tilak Memorial 1 (Gowtham Sr.-24') Vs Bangalore Eagles 2 (Satish Kumar-36', Stephen-62')
30. Mar 18, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 2 (Pradeep Jr.-7', Arunkumar-36') Vs AGORC 2 (Janaki Ram-6', 30')
31. Mar 19, 2015, 1.30 pm: Jawahar Union 0 Vs LRDE 2 (Satish-4', Edwin George-28')
32. Mar 20, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 0 Vs SAI 2 (Sunil Subba-50', Deepak Singh-54')
33. Mar 21, 2015, 1.30 pm: Tilak Memorial 1 (Gowthm-57') Vs BUFC 4 (Clivert -11', 37', Naresh-16, Raksh-70')
34. Mar 22, 2015, 8 am: LRDE 2 (Satish-49', 51') Vs Bangalore Eagles 2 (Sharathkumar-56', Stephen-75') 
35. Mar 22, 2015, 10 am: Bangalore Independents 2 (Shivakuamr-31', Santhosh-77') Vs AGORC 2 (Santosh-33', Prabhu-35') 
36. Mar 22, 2015, 1.30 pm: Income Tax 7 (AD Kumar-25', Shivakumar-39', Manojkumar-40', Stevenson-45', 51', Jaganathan-60', ChentanKuamr-75') Vs Jawahar Union 0
37. Mar 23, 2015, 1.30 pm: KSP 4 (Girish NB-18', Srinath-20', Pradeep Jr.-39' [Pen], Karthick-72') Vs Tilak Memorial 0 
38. Mar 24, 2015, 1.30 pm: BUFC 2 (Akshya-20', Madhu-40'+1') Vs SAI 3 (Gowtham-13', Neeraj Singh-51', Deepak Singh-56')
39. Mar 25, 2015, 1.30 pm: Bangalore Independents 2 (Karthick-22', Raghu-59') Vs Income Tax 2 (Ramesh-32', Joseph Daniel-55')
40. Mar 26, 2015, 1.30 pm: Jawahar Union 3 (Zaibv–7', 76', Shaik-70') Vs Bangalore Eagles 3 (Stephen-8', 43', Thirumurugan-30')
41. Mar 27, 2015, 1.30 pm: LRDE 1 (Satish-14') Vs AGORC 3 (Raju-59', 78', Ravinder-65')
42. Mar 27, 2015, 3.30 pm: KSP 2 (Arunkumr-3', Karthick-47') Vs Bangalore Independents 0  
43. Mar 28, 2015, 8 am: Bangalore Eagles 1 (Stephen-11') Vs SAI 1 (Gowtham-42')
44. Mar 28, 2015, 1.30 pm: Jawahar Union 4 (Sariq-13', Zaib-38', Hriday-67', Nzrau-68') Vs Tilak Memorial 1 (Ahamed-30')
45. Mar 28, 2015, 3.30 pm: AGORC 1 (Nabeel-51') Vs BUFC 1 (Rakesh-4')

BDFA Super Division League 2014-15 - Fixture & Results

Teams 

1. ADE (Aeronautical Development Establishment)
2. South United
3. CIL( Controller Of Electronics  Inspection)
4. MEG
5. ASC  (Army Service Corps)
6. RWF (Rail Wheel Factory)
7. BFC (Bengaluru FC)
8. DYES (Department of Youth Empowerment Sports) 
9. Students Union

Schedule 

1. Feb 9, 2015, 3.30 pm: ADE 1 (Deepak-16') Vs DYES 4 (Jivan-6', Santhosh-24', Annappa-90'+1', Harish-90'+3') 
2. Feb 10, 2015, 3.30 pm: MEG 1 (Ngureilal Hmar-60') Vs RWF 0 (Rajesh-90'+2')  
3. Feb 11, 2015, 3.30 pm: CIL 1 (Vivekananda-5') Vs Students Union 4 (Gopi-19', 42', Patrick-70', 75')
   Matches on Feb 12 and Feb 13 stand cancelled owing to unavailability of Bangalore Football Stadium
4. Feb 14, 2015, 3.30 pm: RWF 2 (Satish Kumar-35', Prakash-65') Vs ASC 4 (Jotin Singh-8', 10', 23', 55')
5. Feb 15, 2015, 3.30 pm: ADE 1 (Deepak-65') Vs South United 4 (Edwin-2', Subash-43', Sudershan-45', Dinesh-90')
6. Feb 16, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 1 (Akshay-82') Vs CIL 2 (Naveen-62', Stephen-64') 
7. Feb 17, 2015, 3.30 pm: ASC 2 (Ramachandran-6', Jotin Singh-41') Vs Students Union 1 (Deepak-1')
8. Feb 20, 2015, 3.30 pm: ADE 1 (GnanaPrakash-67') Vs CIL 1 (Prakash B-48')
9. Feb 21, 2015, 3.30 pm: MEG 1 (Fyzzal-61') Vs DYES 1 (Annappa-36')
10. Feb 24, 2015, 3.30 pm: RWF 0 Vs South United 3 (Subash-39', 76', Edwin-55')
11. Feb 25, 2015, 3.30 pm: Students Union 2 (Anup-36', Gopi-73') Vs MEG 2 (NgurneiLal-54', Aiyappa-81') 
12. Feb 26, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 1 (Nirvain Nair-90'+1') Vs ASC 0
13. Feb 27, 2015, 3.30 pm: DYES 1 (Harish-25') Vs South United 3 (Solai Malai-51', Senthil-54', Subhash-88')
14. Feb 28, 2015, 3.30 pm: Students Union 1 (Gopi-25') Vs ADE 0 
15. Mar 1, 2015, 3.30 pm: CIL 1 (RajKiran-19') Vs MEG 0  
16. Mar 2, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 3 (Nirvain Nair-9' Shelton Paul-49', Shelton Nickson-70') Vs RWF 1 (Satishkumar-10')
17. Mar 3, 2015, 3.30 pm: ASC 3 (Ramachandran-37', 70', Jotin Singh-53') Vs South United 0  
18. Mar 6, 2015, 3.30 pm: Students Union 4 (Gopi-19', Xavier Vijyakumar-33', 50' Sukesh Leon-67') Vs DYES 1 (Annappa-32')
19. Mar 7, 2015, 3.30 pm: MEG 1 (Ramu-45' [Pen]) Vs South United 4 (Pravarth-4', 9' Solai Malai-56', John Peter-70')
20. Mar 8, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 1 (Shilton Paul-54') Vs ADE 2 (Rajkiran-6', Nagaraj S-80')
21. Mar 9, 2015, 3.30 pm: ASC 3 (Jotin Singh-14', 58', Dawa T Butia-82') Vs CIL 1 (Sridhar-8')
22. Mar 23, 2015, 3.30 pm: RWF 3 (Rajesh-47', 68') Vs Students Union 1 (Nandakumar-40' [OG])
23. Mar 11, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 3 (Akshyakumar-45, Manivannan-74', Ricardo-30') Vs DYES 0  
24. Mar 12, 2015, 3.30 pm: MEG 2 (Ngurneilal Hmar-38', 68') Vs ADE 1 (Gnana Prakash-61')
25. Mar 13, 2015, 3.30 pm: RWF 0 Vs CIL 3 (Pradeep Sr.-26', 31'm RC Prakash-56') 
26. Mar 14, 2015, 3.30 pm: South United 5 (Subbash-14',89', Manivannan-54', Sharath-57', Senthil-80') Vs Students Union 4 (Kiran-34', Sukesh Leon-44', 65' [Pen], Xavier Vijayakumar-76')
27. Mar 17, 2015, 3.30 pm: ASC 4 (Sonu-4', Ramachandran-39' [Pen], 75', Aroj Saikh-71') Vs DYES 1 (Harish-20')
28. Mar 18, 2015, 3.30 pm: ADE 1 (Rajesh-45') Vs RWF 2 (Nandakumar-42', Kaviarasan-85')
29. Mar 19, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 2 (Pradeep-41', Nirvain Nair-47') Vs Students Union 1 (Nirmal Kumar-90') 
30. Mar 20, 2015, 3.30 pm: CIL 1 (Prakash B-70'[Pen]) Vs South United 1 (Subash-44'[Pen])
31. Mar 21, 2015, 3.30 pm: MEG 0 Vs ASC 3 
32. Mar 22, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 2 (Nirvair Nair'15', Suahas SN-52' [Pen]) Vs South United 4 (Edwin-3', Subbash-41', John Peter-67' [Pen], Manivanan-80')
33. Mar 23, 2015, 3.30 pm: RWF Vs DYES 
34. Mar 24, 2015, 3.30 pm: ASC 7 (Dawaabutia-13', 33', 55', Jotin Singh-25', 58' Thiruvanakarasu-85', Kiran Verghese-87') Vs ADE 0  
35. Mar 25, 2015, 3.30 pm: BFC 2 (Shelton Nickson-20', Suahas SN-65') Vs MEG 2 (Govin-85', Ngurneilal Hamar-87')
36. Mar 26, 2015, 3.30 pm: DYES Vs CIL  

Lyngdoh’s strike gives Bengaluru first home win

With medio Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s smart strike in the 77th minute, Bengaluru FC tasted their first home win in the Hero I-League by defeating Bharat FC.  

Gaffer pulled no surprise this time in the Bengaluru starting lineup, successful trio of captain Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, and Beikhokhei Bengcaichoo formed the attacking front. For Bharat FC, Rahim Nabi was making debut for his new club. 

Bharat FC kicked-off from left to right. They could have gone ahead in the very first minute of the match - missed the chance of the season when Bengaluru FC defender Osano’s horrendous pass was collected by Lester Fernandes, which he relayed to striker Kris Bright, his shot went way outside the target. Visitors missed another scoring opportunity in 11th minute. 

Bengaluru defense looked jittery often failing to clear the ball. However, captain Chhetri looked in good touch maneuvering from the mid field. In the first half, Bengaluru was controlling the game from the midfield, forcing 5 corners in quick succession. 

Bharat FCs defense lead by captain Gourmangi Singh looked solid and Beninese international Roumald Boko gave stability in the midfield.

Second half started in a positive for host – Robin Singh missed to follow the ball inside the box, which could have resulted in a goal followed by another one from Eugenson in 58th minute. 

The most important juncture came when Eugeneson footed the ball way outside the box, he took time to pick his spot and put the ball back of the net. The match came alive when a solo run from CK Vineeth missed the post by an inch. 

Bharat FC failed to square up after making several attempts later in the game.  

Goal scorer Lyngdoh was declared the Hero of the match! 

Don Bosco-Fr.McFerran trophy winning BDFA XI felicitated

Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) yesterday felicitated the team which won the Don Bosco-Fr.McFerran trophy for a record third time. 

Other than winning the silverware this year, BDFA XI were the champions in 2011 and 2013. 

BDFA honored the team with a wrist watch and Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) president AR Khaleel gave away 25,000 to the winning team. 

Westwood: We are ready for our first win of the season on home turf

After a week of exciting football away from home, Bengaluru FC is back in the fortress as they take on the new entrant in Indian football, Bharat FC on Sunday evening.

It can be again termed as a clash between the two professional clubs. Winning last edition of I League and Hero Federation Cup this year, Jindal Steel backed Bengaluru FC have already proved their presence in Indian football. Another corporate-backed team from Pune made their debut this year - Bharat FC promoted by the Kalyani Group.

The Steelmen perhaps didn't make the best start in Hero I League this season, only a point in two home matches, however their matches away from home have contributed more positives – a hard fought loss against East Bengal after dominating the first half and a thumping win against the then league leaders Royal Wahingdoh. Not to forget another valiant outing in AFC Champions League preliminary play-off tie against Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia, which they went down in extra time. 

Bharat FC too did not have an ideal start to their Hero I-League campaign. With only a point from two matches, they surely would look to add a few from this away encounter. 

They have a strong Bangalore presence in their team. Crowd cheering the local heroes can work for Bharat FC. The midfielders - attacking medio Gunashekar Vignesh, defensive medio Jayashelan Prasad, and Lester Fernandez are Namma-Bangalore boys, and so is their assistant coach Stanly Rozario. 

Speaking to the press today afternoon, the Bengaluru FC gaffer gave a brief account of AFC Champions League play-off experience. He will be fielding a fully fit team sans injury or card problems. “We are ready for our first win of the season on home turf”, assures Ashley. 

Bharat FCs English coach from Wolverhampton Stuart Watkiss is trying to get a feel of Indian football. It will take few more matches for him to come up with an absolute strategy. He’s looked content with the current squad, which is, for now without a fourth foreigner. They’ve signed few good players on loan.  Captain Gourmangi Singh looks uncertain for the match, coach will take a decision tomorrow morning only after a fitness test. 

The match between Bengaluru FC and Bharat FC is slated to start tomorrow, Sunday, 7 PM, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore. 

[Local Tournament] 5-a-side tourney at BTM Layout, 2nd stage

Valiant Bengaluru go down 2-1 to Johor Darul Ta’zim

Bengaluru FC Media 

A heroic Bengaluru FC went down 2-1 to Johor Darul Ta’zim FC after a goal in extra time by substitute Chanthuru Suppiah quelled a remarkable fight by the Blues in the AFC Champions League preliminary play-of tie at a packed Larkin Stadium, in Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday night. 

Down to a second half goal by Harris Harun who nodded home a corner on a night where Bengaluru hit the post twice, the Blues staged a resurrection in the final minute of regulation time. Armed with a corner, Eugeneson Lyngdoh swung in one that beat everyone before bulging the back of the net as a noisy Larkin slumped into silence. 

Despite trailing away from home after Harun’s goal and playing in front of over 17,000 people, the Blues remained unfazed as they kept going in their search for an equalizer. And with less than 10 minutes to go, the Blues nearly found it. Skipper Sunil Chhetri’s impeccable control and lob was able to beat his marker but Marlias was on hand to tip it away. 

The chances were even through the game and Bengaluru barely looked like the away team, constantly pressing making all the right noises in attack. 

Westwood started with Beikhokhei Beingaichho on the right and Sean Rooney in the centre while Lalchhuanmawia got the nod at left-back as Bengaluru erased a shaky few initial minutes to get string together a rhythm they would keep till the half-time whistle. 

The Blues had a few half-chances, the first of which came from a corner in the 14th minute. Picked out by a Beikho delivery, Johnson seemed to be caught wrong-footed when he was in a good place to pull the trigger. Johnson was in the thick of things again but while he got everything right, the post played spoiler to his goal-bound header in the 24th. 

But Westwood’s men were dealt another early blow when, just seven minutes into extra time, Suppiah was sent through on goal. The striker placed the ball calmly past Ralte. Faced with a tough battle and with few minutes on the clock, Bengaluru began throwing the kitchen sink at Johor who did enough to soak in the attacks. Having produced a magical moment once on the night, Bengaluru did all they could to stir up an encore that wasn’t meant to be. 

Chhetri controls the ball as Johor Darul Ta'zim's Kunanlan looks on

Bengaluru FC set for big night in Asia

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC will add a key chapter to their little but event-filled history when the Blues take on Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in the AFC Champions League preliminary qualifier to be played at the Larkin Stadium, in Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday.

Ashley Westwood’s League and Federation Cup champions take the field at 6.15 pm IST for what is arguably their biggest night yet and the gaffer has said his boys are keen on giving a good account of themselves on the Asian stage. The Blues had embarked on a pre-season tour to China earlier this season with an eye on the Asian challenges this campaign. The odds are heavily stacked against Bengaluru who also have 18,000 Johor fans spurring their side on, to deal with.

“On the day anything can happen. We'll go into the game and apply ourselves correctly which is our framework and see where it takes us. You can't be overconfident in football. We are hopeful. We are looking forward to our experience in Asian Football,” said Westwood at the pre-game press conference on Tuesday.

After a rather indifferent start to their title defence, Bengaluru’s last game was a big 0-4 win away from home to leaders Royal Wahingdoh and the result has done the Blues’ confidence a fair amount of good. But Westwood isn’t making too much of it with relation to the challenge in Johor.

“The morale in the camp is good. We've come here on the back of a 4-0 victory which stands us in good stead. But this is football and change is regular. We don't look at anything into the past and we're looking forward to a good match. Hopefully we can do ourselves some justice and look what we can bring to the table. They are a good side with some quality players. It will be a difficult as they are the champion side.”

Johor, on their part, began their own title defence of the Malaysia Super League with a 2-0 win over Pahang last week and while coach Bojan Hodak admitted that playing at home will work for them, he wasn't willing to write the tie off as a cakewalk. “Of course, we are playing at home and I have always said that if you are playing at home, no matter who you are up against, you are always favourites. But it's going to be a tough match. Bengaluru are a good, organised and physical team. We have seen a few of their videos. The good thing is that we beat Pahang FC and the spirit in the camp is good,” he said.

Hodak said Johor would be without Argentine striker Luciano Figueroa who picked up an injury and the coach wasn't willing to take a gamble on him. Westwood, meanwhile, has a completely fit squad to pick from. A win on Wednesday would see Bengaluru travel to play Bangkok Glass in their bid to move closer to the league stages of Asia's premier club competition.

Medio Joshua Walker trains at the Larkin Stadium