Aizawl take on Bengaluru in first match of Hero Federation Cup 2016

AIFF Media 

Newly crowned Hero I-League Champions Bengaluru FC will clash swords against Aizawl FC in the first match of the Hero Federation Cup 2016 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl, Mizoram on April 30, 2016. The kick-off for which is at 3PM IST. 

The top eight teams of Hero I-league will be contending in the Hero Federation Cup which will see a total of 13 games. All the matches, except the Final are to be played on a two legged (home and away) knockout basis. While the Final will be played on a neutral ground. Bengaluru FC are the current holders of the Federation Cup having beaten Dempo 2-1 in the 2015 Final which was played at Margao, Goa.  

In the Official Pre-Match Press Conference held today at Aizawl, both sides expressed their desires and intentions to win in the match tomorrow. Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood said, "We have been fairly consistent this season and we hope to carry it into the Hero Federation Cup. We could not train as much as we would like to today after our long journey yesterday but we will play to win tomorrow." 

Commenting on Aizawl FC, Westwood stated "Aizawl are a good team, it was sad to see to see them go out. They were a fresh team that showed excitement and did not deserve to be relegated."

Seminlen Doungel, the Manipuri striker, emphasized on the desire of his team to win and said, "I am very excited about our match with Aizawl tomorrow, we will try our best to win." He also admitted that  knock-out matches could be more difficult than league matches. 

Aizawl FC coach Jahar Das stated that his side could create an upset come tomorrow. "We were not the last team in the Hero I-League, and we were able to beat Mohun Bagan who were at the top, we can win tomorrow.We have an advantage over them as they are a little tired, it will be difficult for them to hold us tomorrow." 

"It was a difficult time for us when we heard that we have relegated. But now, we have to opportunity to play against the champions. They are the best team as of now and have been playing other tournaments like the AFC so that might work to our advantage", informed Aizwal FC's midfielder Albert Zohmingmawia.

In their two Hero I-League matches against each other, Aizawl FC suffered two defeats conceding one goal in each match without scoring against Bengaluru FC, however a new day beckons tomorrow and who knows, maybe Aizawl FC can create an upset by defeating 'Champions of India' Bengaluru FC.   

Bengaluru FC defeat Lao Toyota and make AFC Cup round of 16 again

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC sealed a spot in the Round of 16 of the AFC Cup after goals from Eugeneson Lyngdoh (45th) and Kim Song Yong (60th) in either half gave Bengaluru FC a 2-1 win over Lao Toyota FC at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.

Three points confirmed second place in Group H for the I-League champions with a game in hand against Group leaders and Cup holders Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia. Bengaluru’s opponents will be the leaders of Group F where the battle to pole position is a three-way race between Kitchee (Hong Kong), Kaya (Philippines) and Balestier Khalsa (Singapore) that will be decided in the last round.

The game got off to a rather somber start with Bengaluru happy to ping the ball around and keep as much possession as possible while looking for an opening between Lao’s defensive lines.

Bengaluru began mounting the pressure as the half wore on with Udanta Singh and Sunil Chhetri finding themselves in dangerous positions in the Lao box only to scuff their shots wide. Kim Song Yong then set off on a brilliant solo run from the half line to the Lao box only to shoot over.
But the surge did enough to suggest a Bengaluru FC goal and Lyngdoh picked the first minute of added time to strike. 

A set of swift passes saw Michael Collins float in a cross from the right as Lyngdoh rose and sent his gracefully glanced header way beyond Vathana Keodouangdeth’s reach.

Bengaluru made it 2-0 on the hour mark when Chhetri squared Lyngdoh’s pass to Kim who finished without ado. The North Korean striker had, only a minute earlier, unselfishly teed up Udanta who was inches away from getting a touch with an open goal at his mercy.

But Lao soon pulled a goal back against the run of play when striker Kazuo Homma rose to head in a freekick in the 67th minute to make it 2-1. The goal was followed by the sending off of Ashley Westwood after he protested about Lao Toyota taking the freekick 10 yards ahead of the spot from where it was awarded.

Hopes of a Lao comeback were dealt a hurdle with when the visitors were reduced to 10 men at the death after defender Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya received his marching orders. The side from Laos tried to work out an opening as the game meandered to its end but the Bengaluru FC defence and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh held strong, decisively claiming speculative long balls in and around the Bengaluru penalty box. 

Hero Federation Cup kicks-off this Saturday with Aizawl vs Bengaluru match

AIFF Media 

The Hero Federation Cup will kick-off on April 30, 2016 with Aizawl FC taking on Hero Federation Cup Champions Bengaluru FC. 

The top eight teams as per the standings of the Hero I-League will be playing in the knock-out format on a Home and Away basis including the semifinals with the Final match being slated to be played at a neutral venue.

As per the regulations of the Tournament, the lower ranked Teams (as per the standings of the Hero I-League) are to play their Home match first.

Round One is scheduled to be played on April 30, May 1 and May 2; while Round 2 will be played on May 3, 4 and 5, 2016.

The first round of the semifinals is to be played on May 7 and May 8 with the return legs slated for May 14 and 15.

The Final will be played on May 21.

The schedule of the Tournament is as follows:

Round 1

• Match No 1: Aizawl FC vs Bengaluru FC (April 30)
• Match No 2: Salgaocar SC vs Mohun Bagan (May 2)
• Match No 3: Shillong Lajong FC vs Kingfisher East Bengal (May 1)
• Match No 4: Mumbai FC vs Sporting Clube de Goa (May 1) 

Round 2

• Match 5: Bengaluru FC vs Aizawl FC (May 3)
• Match 6: Mohun Bagan vs Salgaocar FC (May 5)
• Match 7: Kingfisher East Bengal vs Shillong Lajong FC (May 4)
• Match 8: Sporting Clube de Goa vs Mumbai FC (May 4)

SEMIFINAL - Round 1

• Match No 9: Winners of Match 1 & 5 vs Winners of Match 4 & 8
• Match No. 10: Winners of Match 2 & 6 vs Winners of Match 3 & 7

SEMIFINAL (Round 2)

• Match No 11: Winners of Match 4 & 8 vs Winners of Match 1 & 5.
• Match No 12: Winners of Match 3 & 7 vs Winners of Match 2 & 6.

GRAND FINALE: May 21, 2016.

Hero I-League comes back to Bengaluru again

I-League Media 
Bengaluru FC Media

April 17, 2016, is Day for the history books! A day to reckon as the Steelmen from the Garden City prevailed over Salgaocar FC, courtesy the two strikes from Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Seiminlen Doungel to triumph their second Hero I-League silverware in three years. 

11,000-odd fans thronged the stadium to see their team clinching the Hero I-League once again, that too at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

If a win is what the Steelmen needed to touch the silverware, Salgaocar FC had the motivation to finish the Hero I-League in a respectable fourth position.

Bengaluru started the game from where they left against Kingfisher East Bengal last week. Attacks, which constituted mostly from the right flank, kept the Salgaocar defense on their toes throughout. They only took nine minutes to crack the visitor’s defense.

The goal came from an awful mix up from the Salgaocar defense when Karanjit Singh came out of charge to clear the ball only to find a clever Eugenson Lyngdoh at the top of the 18-yard box, in his usual calm, the medio placed the ball at the back of the net. Salgaocar FC defense could have averted the danger but the damage work had been done already.

Salgaocar FC, missing several of their regular players, were up for a fierce challenge. Santosh Kashyap’s men never looked the same team who were unbeaten in the last five rounds. It was a one-way traffic thereafter but the visitors survived many times, thanks to some timely save from Karanjit.
The second half resumed a bit late from the scheduled time due to the power failure at one of the towers in the stadium. 

Gaffer Ashley sharpening his attack line resorted to CK Vineeth for Udanta Singh. Eugeneson Lyngdoh, CK Vineeth flooded the Greens' box with a myriad of attacking moves but somehow Salgaocar FC defenders kept the scoreline unchanged.

Jackichand Singh, lately-introduced Semboi Haokip tried every bit to cancel the home team's lead of late, but an alert Bengaluru FC defense parried them away to secure the coveted silverware.

The host put the final nail in the coffin in the 88th minute from a wonderful with the ball run from Captain Sunil Chhetri, who relayed it to an unmarked Seiminlen Doungel, and he taps the ball home to send the crowd into a delirium.

The win gives the Blues an unassailable lead of 5 points over the Mariners, who are slated to host them next Saturday at the Kanchenjunga Stadium. Salgaocar FC succumb to the 6th position with 16 points with one match in hand. 

Bengaluru face exuberant Salgaocar to seal the league

I-League Media 
Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC’s eye on the coveted Hero I-League is pretty apparent. They played with a second string side in their 4th round AFC Cup match against Ayeyawady United, Myanmar last Wednesday. Gaffer Westwood refrained from fielding a full-strength squad which included stars like Sunil Chettri, Eugenson Lyngdoh, and all four foreigners - ensuring he gets his best eleven against Salgaocar tomorrow. 

A win and they take home the Hero I-League. Winning the silverware twice in their three-season existence. That would be an impressive record for Bengaluru FC. 

Salgaocar have been on a late upsurge - they are unbeaten for the past five rounds and fared extremely well in their Round 16 match against Aijwal FC. Playing an away match versus the newly-promoted I-League team, they won 1-0. The win took Santosh Kashyap’s team out of the relegation threat.

Bengaluru Gaffer looked poised, in his usual manner he said, “I have no expectations, it is a normal game of football – we will play for win. Everything is in our hands, hope we’ll put up a good performance, and get results thereafter.”

Ashley further added, “We are at home, chance for us to put up a good performance in front of our fans.” 

Eugenson has been a mainstay in the Bengaluru team. His return after six-weeks of injury has made most of the difference for his team. Citing how tormenting it is to stay away from the game, he responded, “Always tough for a player to be on the sideline, but then Injury is a part and parcel of football.

“When Eugene got injured, Shankar came in and did a good job for us, then he got injured! We always got the capability to shuffle around. Should Eugune being fit throughout the season, he probably wouldn’t have played all the games, we would have rotated him. It is just another opportunity for players to step into his shoes”, Ashley added. 

With two more rounds to go (including tomorrow’s match), Salgaocar would surely like to climb up the points table, and finish as the 4th best team. But most importantly they would be spoiling Bengaluru’s party and keep the I-League alive till the last round. 

However, one major worry for Kashyap’s is his star performer Daryll Duffy’s absence. Duffy, who has scored eleven goals for Salgaocar in HeroI-league, is not considered for the match owing to card suspension. 

“We are not in pressure, the pressure is on Bengaluru, giggled Kashyap.

”We will see how we can put more pressure on them, so that they crack.”

Santosh Kashyap added, “We’ve achieved our first objective, which is to avoid relegation. Now we are aiming to finish at the top for and we will achieve only by playing well in the last two rounds.”

Salgaocar coach is unperturbed by Duffy’s absence, “Duffy is an important member, in his absence, we’ve defeated East Bengal, also, fared well on other matches in his absence.” 
The Goan team missing few more players due to injury, Kashyap added, “It is not just only Duffey, there are several other members like Gurjinder Kumar, Calvin Mbarga, Clifton Dias, who are injured and not in the recent scheme of things. But we have a big squad, it is up to the players like Manandeep and rest to rise to the occasion.” 

When the title of the league is decided in the last 4 minutes of the final round, it is too early to decide, considering there are still two rounds left. 

Bengaluru FC notch key win, beat Ayeyawady 5-3

Bengaluru FC Media 

An Alwyn George brace and goals from CK Vineeth, Len Doungel and substitute Beikhokhei Beingaichho saw Bengaluru FC beat Myanmar’s Ayeyawady United FC 5-3 in a high-scoring AFC Cup Group H fixture at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.

With this result, Bengaluru FC occupy second position in group H with six points from four games.  Defending Champions Johor Darul Ta’zim are in pole position with 12 points from their four games.

In a heavily altered starting XI, one having no foreigners and with Sunday’s big game against Salgaocar gaining rightful precedence, Ashley Westwood handed 18-year-old Nishu Kumar his club debut while Lalthuammawia Ralte started in goal. In fact, the squad did not feature Sunil Chhetri, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, John Johnson, Rino Anto and Curtis Osano while Michael Collins missed the fixture with a suspension.

But the young side showed no signs of pressure and put Ayeyawady on the back foot with a flurry of attacks from the first minute on. Daniel Lalhlimpuia was set up smartly by Vineeth in the box and the youngster’s dragged attempt from close ricocheted off the crossbar. Alwyn George, Len Doungel and Vineeth then all came close with chances they should have finished off.

Bengaluru eventually got the lead in the 20^th minute when Vineeth made the most of a poor back pass, got a touch to put the ball beyond an onrushing Ayeyawady ’keeper before regain his shape and slotting into an empty net.

But for all their domination, Bengaluru’s failure to take their chances – some of them more than gilt-edged – saw them pay the price a minute before half-time. Christopher Chizoba forced Manju to commit and then set Zaw whose strike beat Ralte past his right as the half ended 1-1.

Westwood didn’t press any changes to start the second half with and Bengaluru shot into the lead when George tapped home his first goal in a Blues shirt in the 61^st minute. Meeting a low cross from Vishal Kumar, George saw his first take saved by Vanlal only to get a second chance that he put away.

Vineeth then set up Doungel in the 66^th minute to make it 3-1. Picking the ball on the left, Doungel powered his way past his marker before shooting past Vanlal with his left.

Just when Bengaluru felt they had a lead that would let them breathe easy, an impressive display from Chizoba seemed to throw a spanner in their works. Picking up the ball 20 yards from goal, the Nigerian striker cut past a covering Vishal Kumar and then lashed a fierce grounder which beat Ralte’s flailing hands and gave the side from Myanmar a glimmer of hope.

Just nine minutes later, an optimistic effort from the edge of the box along the carpet, something which Ralte should have gobbled up, inexplicably evaded the Bengaluru ‘keeper’s grasp, deflecting off his hands and into the goal, restoring parity for Ayeyawady.

It was easy for heads to drop in the hosts’ camp but an inspired run from Vineeth down the left saw him power past his marker and put in another rapid, low cross which a sliding Beikhokhei Beingaichho bundled in.

Having regained the lead and with just a minute of regulation time remaining, the Blues went for the kill as Udanta Singh, substituted in for Doungel, left two Ayeyawady central defenders trailing in his wake. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Udanta hammered his shot into the body of the keeper but Alwyn George reprieved the youngster, smashing the ball into the roof of the net to give his side a 5-3 lead and the three valuable points. 

Blues shine at Kanteerava, inch toward title

I-League Media
Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC registered a thumping 3-1 win against Kingfisher East Bengal tonight to get one step closer towards their second Hero I-League silverware in three years.

Both teams missed their mainstay in the central defence in the likes of John Johnson and Arnab Mondal. Side back Keegan Pereira filled in Johnson’s shoes and French international Bernard Mendy dropped back to deep defence to pair with Bello Rasaq.

Bengaluru took the first bite at the cherry in the second minute when Eugenson’s free kick looped in ominously on the top of Kingfisher East Bengal’s goal, missing the target by a few inches.

The visitors took the lead from a surprise goal on the half-hour mark via Do Dong-Hyun. As the U22 player Malsawmzuala lost the control of the ball on the half-line, Do Dong sneaked in and placed the ball neatly at the back of the net.

Perhaps Bengaluru FC needed this kick to make a come back into the game. Within two minutes, they equalized from an excellent attacking move, and this time the red & Golds defense was caught napping. North Korean striker Kim Song Yong collected the ball from the right flank, and dispatches for Eugenson Lyngdoh, who heads home in perfection.

The players headed to the dressing room with the scoreline read as 1-1.

After the lemon break, The other side of the half witnessed some urgency from the visitors, Amrinder was tested by Do Dong and Ranti Martines on a few occasions. However, much to their horror, the hosts pumped two goals in quick succession.

Kim Song Yong finally got his scoring boot on, an inch-perfect cross from Eugeneson from the left in the 64th minute found the lanky striker who did no mistake to go on to score his fifth goal in his first season of Hero I-League.

Minutes later the Blues pumped in another goal, much to the mistake by Kingfisher East Bengal goalie Rehenesh TP. A powerful long ranger from Malsawmzuala tried his luck from 25 yards out and Rehenesh could not parry it safely, to add many woes to his team.

Bengaluru FC, who already started to sense their third victory in six face-offs with the Red & Golds, saw off the last minutes cautiously.

With the momentary win, Bengaluru FC leapfrogged defending champions Mohun Bagan to the top of the table with 29 points from 14 matches whereas Kingfisher East Bengal are placed third with 24 points playing same number of matches.

Title race goes down to the wire as Bengaluru FC take on East Bengal in an enthralling tie tomorrow

I-League Media
Bengaluru FC Media  

In an important Round 16 fixture of the Hero I-League, title contenders from the Garden City Bengaluru FC will be meeting Kingfisher East Bengal at their Fortress tomorrow. Having played equal number of matches, the team from Kolkata is currently ranked third in the points table, only two points behind Bengaluru. 

Hero I-League has never been so interesting as it's a two-team title race now between Bengaluru FC and Kingfisher East Bengal after Mohun Bagan's 3-3 draw with DSK Shivajians tonight. 

Bengaluru is back home after a 1-1 away draw against DSK Shivajians. However, the result didn’t perturbed much gaffer Ashley Westwood, who reckon the latter is a much improved side having unbeaten in last 5 games. 

The only worry for gaffer is the backbone in defense, John Johnson’s absence for tomorrow’s match. The former Middleborough central defender sits out tomorrow due to yellow card suspension. 

Johnson’s partner, Curtis Osano, who too is on three yellow cards will start the game with a new partner. Having played against the likes of Ranty Martins and co. in last few seasons, he no pushover. 

Other than the Shankar Sampangiraj’s injury, who’s out for the rest of the season, Bengaluru have no other injury problems.

Ashley looked calm, he said, “Tomorrow’s match will not decide the title, we can still do with one draw and two win in the remaining three rounds.” 

Result of East Bengal in last five rounds read two away loss and a win, then a morale boosting derby win and a disappointing home draw. East Bengal might not have set the combination right yet they are in the champion’s race. 

For Kingfisher East Bengal coach and former India international Biswajeet Bhattacharya, it is a must win game to stay in title contention.

“Tomorrow’s game is important game for both teams, Bengaluru FC is a good team, they are in good position, and we are also in the run. We are very serious, we believe in our boys, and we have to go for a win”, said East Bengal coach. 

Biswajeet further added about his team’s late upsurge, “Football is full of surprises, you win some you lose some. When we met Bengaluru at home in Round 5, we were seven points behind and in round 9 and 10 we were trailing by five points. If you see now (Round 16), we are just two points less, and it can be anybody’s game tomorrow. 

The latest news from East Bengal camp is that their central defender. Arnab Mondal will be serving two-match suspension, he can’t play tomorrow. 

That might prompt Biswajeet to field experienced Deepak Mondal against Bengaluru. Mondal, a 1998 Tata Football Academy product, the mainstay in defense is playing his 16th season in I-League/National Football League uninterrupted. 

Deepak accompanied his coach in the pre-match press conference today. 

Asking how long he would be playing at the top level, Deepak answered cheekily, “If I am fit, I will keep going. Most important for me is to get a platform to perform, if I get a club like this, I can play for few more seasons." 

Despite of having talented players in their rooster, East Bengal could not strike a right combination thus far, yet on the positive side they are still in the title race. 

The match will be played tomorrow at 7:05 PM, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Former state footballer Ramanna dies in Kolkata

Source: BDFA & Ei Samay

Kolkata Maidan Folklore has it that that supporters of Mohammedan Sporting would chant 
Shawan ka mahina, Mohammedan kare shor, Ramanna kare center, Papanna kare score while watching them turning out for their favorite team. 

That was the 60's era and the chant was taken from a Hindi number, which was very popular at that time. They were the brother duo from Mysore who swayed Kolkata Maidan, much before the arrival of Habib-Akbar from Hyderabad. 

Ramanna breathed his last at a government hospital in Kolkata in the morning of Monday, April 4, 2016. He was 77 years old and was unwell for the last three months. 

Ramanna remained bachelor all his life, made Kolkata his home and did not return Karnataka. 

Ramanna’s performance in the Santhosh Trophy 1962 caught everyone’s attention and he was directly picked by the Kolkata club. He played for East Bengal in the 1964 and 65 and then moved to Mohammedan Sporting in 1966.

He returned to Bangalore joined CIL in 1967, the very next season Ramanna went to Kolkata again to Mohammedan Sporting, and donned Black and White color till his retirement in 1973. Ramanna’s brother duo Papanna came back to Bangalore and joined ITI.  

Ramanna’s also had another brother named Rajanna – Papanna, Rajanna, and Rammana formed a formidable trio in the footballing circle in the state. 

KSFA and BDFA condoled the demise of the great son of the state. 

One minute of silence was observed during BDFA B Division RBI Vs Southern Blues match at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Tuesday, April 5.  

Bengaluru share points with DSK, miss chance to grab the pole position

Bengaluru FC Media 
I-League Media 

Bengaluru FC squandered the chance to top of the League as sole leaders after the Blues played out a 1-1 draw against DSK Shivajians at the Balewadi Stadium, in Pune, on Wednesday. Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s first goal for the club this season was cancelled in a matter of minutes by DSK striker Asier Pierrick Dipanda’s header in the 37th minute to share spoils in what was a game played at a very fast pace.

The draw takes Bengaluru to 26 points, equal with Mohun Bagan who have played a game more than Ashley Westwood’s side. East Bengal are in third with 24 points, having played as many games as the Blues.

Bengaluru’s opener came in the 34th minute when Lyngdoh was at hand to tap home a rebound from close after Sunil Chhetri saw his freekick pushed to the post by Subrata Paul. But DSK found their equaliser just minutes later when Dipanda rose to nod home Juan Barraso’s cross from the left.

The hosts switched gears after the goal with Douhou Pierre, Dipanda and Barraso linking up well but the Blues defence refused to buckle under pressure, seeing the half through at 1-1.  

Westwood rang in three changes from the side that beat Mumbai FC on Saturday. Skipper Chhetri and defender Keegan Pereira made the starting XI along with young Daniel Lalhlimpuia who came in for Kim Song Yong.

The Blues began the second half with a change, Westwood bringing in Ranjan Salam Singh for Curtis Osano. The Englishman’s second change of the night came on the hour mark when he replaced Daniel with Lalchhuanmawia. The introduction of the nippy defender saw Chhetri move up to join CK Vineeth in attack.

The two almost combined for what looked like the lead when the skipper’s nod down from Rino Anto’s cross was intercepted by Milan Singh with Vineeth waiting at the other end. Minutes before the move, DSK were denied by the post after Pierrick’s diving header from a Baljit Sahni cross, grazed the woodwork on its way out. Pierrick came close in again in the 85th minute but this time Amrinder Singh didn’t need the post, diving on his left to push the strike out.

Bengaluru could have had the winner in the 87th minute but were left to rue woeful decision making by Thoi Singh. The midfielder, in the box with the ball at his feet and Chhetri to square a pass to, chose to strike instead. But with Paul having his angles covered, Bengaluru could only wonder what could have been.

The Blues next host East Bengal in Bengaluru on Sunday. 

Bengaluru FC meet DSK Shivajians in a key encounter

I-League Media
Bengaluru FC Media

With only four games left to play for, Bengaluru are a just a point behind leaders Mohun Bagan, having played two games lesser. The Kolkata side, who conceded at the death in a 2-2 draw away to Shillong Lajong on Tuesday, have now picked up just one point their last three games. 

While a win against DSK Shivajians would send the Blues two points clear at the top with a game in hand, the gaffer believes his side is well prepared for the challenge.

DSK Shivajians have an enviable task at hand of plugging spokes into the run and inevitably the visitors’ will go all out to take another step closer to win their second Hero I-League trophy after claiming it in their debut season in 2013-14.

DSK Shivajians have done well winning three of the six matches played at the Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium so far including the momentary wins against Kingfisher East Bengal and Sporting Clube de Goa in their last two matches played.

“We’re approaching the last two or three weeks of the season and we’ve got a big ten days in front of us. We play DSK then East Bengal and Salgaocar but we can only plan for the next game which is against DSK and we’ve done our homework and we’re well prepared,” said Westwood after the Blues’ training session on Tuesday.

Bengaluru FC have quietly been going on about their business this season. Ashley Westwood's boys are within touching distance of the league leaders and they have already started to sense their second Hero I-League trophy in three years. Young Daniel Lalhlimpuia turned up with the winner against Mumbai FC on Saturday, going to show the kind of depth Bengaluru has. The win also marked the return of Eugeneson Lyngdoh from injury and the midfielder showed more than just a few glimpses of what he brings to the team.

On the injury front, skipper Sunil Chhetri could be in the reckoning after missing out on the Mumbai FC game with a sore groin. “We've done our work and the lads are in good form. We're hopeful of having a few more bodies back on the pitch for this game and a few more selection problems which is what you want at this stage of the season,” opined Westwood.

The last fixture of round 15 will be telecast live on Ten 2 at 7:05 PM.

Bengaluru FC break Mumbai jinx via Daniel Lalhlimpuia goal

AIFF Media
Bengaluru FC Media

Maintaining pressure all through the second half, Bengaluru FC defeated Mumbai FC 1-0 from a Daniel Lalhlimpuia goal at Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Bengaluru have been a bogey team to Mumbai FC. The outcome of the Kolkata derby also worked in favor of Bengaluru, provided an added incentive to outperform Mumbai FC. 

Eugenson made a comeback today after staying out for more than 2 months owing to injury but Captain Sunil Chettri had sit out for his injury. 

Bengaluru pressed and gained corner in the very first minute, followed by a couple in the next 10 minutes. However none gave way to goal.

For Mumbai FC, medio Eric Brown was controlling the middle, something that Bengaluru was missing most of the time in the first half. Few positive attack from Bengaluru centered on Kim Song kept the Mumbai keeper busy. 

In the 30th minute Pawan Kumar, who turned for Bengaluru until few seasons ago came out of the charge chasing the ball, collided with rushing Kim Song, and conceded a free kick from the good position. Eugune’s low trajectory kick was timely rescued by Mumbai defense. 

Vineeth made some valiant runs but lacked the final touch. Half-time ended in a draw. 

Post lemon break, Osano tripped Taisuke Matsugae from behind, which earned a free kick at the top of the box and a caution from the referee. Eric Brown’s kick did not do any good for his team. 

It was all Bengaluru FC after the first few minutes in the second half. 

They lost an opportunity in the 58th minute from a constructive run from Seiminlen that went for Vineeth, the latter’s attempt on the goal was blocked by keeper, Kim on follow up set for Thoi and was blocked again. 

The ah-moment went on for few more minutes originating again from Seiminlen. Another chance went begging for Bengaluru as the combination of Seiminlen and Vineeth could not see the goal from the melee. 

Substitution by gaffer Ashley Westwood in quick succession gave Bengaluru the much-needed goal. An attacking Udanta scooped the ball inside the box for Vineeth, Mumbai FC keeper made the mistake of the match by letting the ball go, Vineeth pulls the ball for Daniel, who neatly places the ball to the back of the net. 

With today's win, Bengaluru FC leapfrogged Kingfisher East Bengal to the second spot in the league table with 25 points. Bengaluru FC have started sensing the title with Mohun Bagan going down to their arch rivals Kingfisher East Bengal in the other match today. Either of the two Kolkata outfits and Bengaluru FC, who are separated by only 2 points among them, can lift the coveted silverware at the end of the Hero I-League season.

Bengaluru seek vengeance over Mumbai FC

AIFF Media
I-League Media 

Keeping the focus to claim the top spot in the Hero I-League, Bengaluru FC meet Mumbai FC tomorrow at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru. 

The encounter can be fairly termed as a high-stake match with Mumbai FC turning out Bengaluru’s nemesis, the later never defeated Mumbai in I-League. and the away match earlier this season turned out to be a 0-2 drub. 

Bengaluru FC preparation for tomorrow’s match is just like any other game, feels Gaffer Ashley Westwood. On the injury front, Eugeneson Lyngdoh is back to full fitness, both physically and mentally, and he is in contention for starting eleven. 

“We need to see where Eugene stands for the game. Sunil Chhetri had an injury before he went for the National Camp, that’s the reason he did not feature in the match against Turkmenistan. We’re assessing him on a day-to-day basis, it is not a long term injury, we’ll see how it is, if he stay enough focused, then he’ll play, if not, he won’t.” added Ashley. 

Mumbai FC, represented by Manager and Assistant Coach, Henry Picardo in the pre-match press conference stressed the importance of tomorrows match. Mumbai had a decent break, which helped in players’ recovery. 

Mumbai FC started their Hero I-League on a fantastic note but failed to carry on the momentum. 

“We got a very good team on paper, unfortunately we had a lot player injuries, which is quite obvious in a league. That was a major setback for us. But for tomorrow we have a full strength squad” mentioned Henry. Their key players Taisuke Matsugae, Min-chol Son, and Ijumi Arata suffered injuries. 

Gaffer termed the loss against Mumbai FC as freak, “Bengaluru played for the first time at Cooperage ground. Though we had the majority possession, we conceded to early goals, which made us difficult to come back to the game.” 

He looked content with the progress of the Hero I-League, “Several teams are coming up now and there will be lot of twists and turns. What we can do best is to win our next game.” Ashley sums up, “As long as we keep the season alive, I’ll be happy!”

Mumbai FC Manager is not ready to bask on the fantastic record his team enjoys against the Steelmen. He further added, “We barely keep statistics in our mind while playing a match. Whatever happened earlier is now behind us. We only focus on our next game, and the one that is important for us is the game against Bengaluru tomorrow. 

Talking about the new-found rivalry between Bengaluru and Mumbai, Henry sounded enthusiastic, “There has to be rivals - rivalry between clubs and their fans. This is needed to prosper football in our country. Since last year this has been a key point. We have come here, there will be loud Bengaluru fans, when we played at home, there were Mumbai FC fans.