Saturday, February 28, 2015

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.  


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