Spirited Bengaluru FC exit Durand Cup with defeat in sudden death to FC Goa

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC’s Durand Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end following their defeat to FC Goa in the semifinal, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, on Wednesday. Sivasakthi Narayanan (1’, 83’) scored at either end of regulation time, with Devendra Murgaokar (8’) and Redeem Tlang (72’) getting on the scoresheet for Goa. With both teams on level terms at the end of extra time, the game moved to a penalty shootout, where Damaitphang Lyngdoh saw his effort saved in sudden death, which meant curtains for the Blues in Kolkata.

Naushad Moosa made two changes to the team that beat Army Green in the quarterfinal, with Namgyal Bhutia and Akashdeep Singh replacing Biswa Darjee and Leon Augustine. On the other bench, Juan Ferrando made three changes; Naveen Kumar, Ivan Gonzalez, Alberto Noguera coming in place of Dheeraj Singh, Brandon Fernandes and Aibanbha Dohling.

Goa got the ball rolling and the Blues’ high press right from kickoff caught their goalkeeper Naveen Kumar off guard, whose attempt to clear was blocked by Sivasakthi, deflecting the ball into the goal to put Bengaluru 1-0 up. Goa made it 1-1 minutes later when Devendra headed in Muhammed Nemil’s corner from close range.

Despite the early equaliser, the Blues stuck to the game plan and made frequent inroads into the final third. First, Sivasakthi made space for himself and took a shot that curled away from the goal. Later, Bidyashagar Singh, on as an early replacement for the injured Harmanpreet Singh, cut inside from the left and saw his shot blocked for a corner. Minutes after, Sivasakthi found Bhutia’s run from inside the Blues’ half, but the 22-year-old’s first time effort sailed well over.

Just past the half hour mark, Sanson Pereira found his way into the Blues box and found Edu Bedia in the middle, but Wungngayam Muirang was alert to head the ball away with ’keeper Lara Sharma off his line.

On the other side of the break, Bengaluru took less than two minutes to carve open the Goan defence, when Sivasakthi played Bidyashagar through, but the forward saw his shot go high and wide. Two minutes later, skipper Ajith, pressing high up the pitch, stole possession outside the box, made his way in and found Akashdeep, whose shot was off target.

Goa’s first shot on target in the second half came from an Edu freekick, but Lara was alert to dive low and make the block. Looking to get a foothold in the game, Ferrando made a triple substitution in the 61st minute, bringing on Makan Chothe, Redeem and Aibanbha Dohling for Devendra, Nemil and Spaniard Ivan Gonzalez. The changes worked, as substitute Redeem put Goa 2-1 up with a left foot finish.

Sivasakthi, who gave the Blues the lead in the opening minute, brought them back into the game with a well taken header off Bhutia’s cross to make it 2-2, and take the game into extra time.

The thirty added minutes in humid conditions failed to separate the sides, as both teams, tired but resolute, stood firm to take the game into a penalty shootout. Muirang, Ajay Chhetri, Parag Shrivas, Bhutia, Ajith and Bekey Oram found the back of the net, while Akashdeep saw his effort saved, and Lara did well to block Reddem’s penalty. Damaitphang Lyngdoh saw his spot kick saved in sudden death, confirming an exit from the competition for the Blues with a 7-6 defeat in the shootout.

Bengaluru, Delhi play out entertaining 2-2 draw

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC and Delhi FC played out a hard-fought 2-2 draw in their Durand Cup Group C clash, at the Mohun Bagan Ground, in Kolkata, on Saturday. Sivasakthi Narayanan (27’) put the Blues ahead before Willis Plaza (57’, 61’) turned it around for Delhi in the second half. Substitute Bidyashagar Singh (75’) brought Bengaluru back on level terms, helping Naushad Moosa's side take a point from the encounter.

Moosa made three changes to the team that defeated Kerala Blasters in the opening game, with Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Leon Augustine and Harmanpreet Singh replacing Akashdeep Singh, Namgyal Bhutia and Bidyashagar.

Ajith Kumar, who captained the side yet again, had to be alert in the fifth minute to intercept Plaza’s cross to Himanshu Jangra in the box. The Blues’ first chance of the game came when Sivasakthi was released down the right wing, and the striker’s cutback found Ajay Chhetri, whose shot was blocked by a sliding Suraj. At the other end, Lara Sharma had to be alert to deny Rinreithan Shaiza.

The Blues broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when Ajay's freekick bounced off the wall and Delhi goalkeeper Lovepreet Singh failed to collect. Sivasakthi, alert enough to poke home from close range, put BFC ahead.

The final effort of the half fell Delhi’s way when Shaiza got free down the left flank, but saw his shot well blocked at the near post by Lara.

Looking to get back into the game, Delhi brought on Victor Philip in place of Nikhil Mali as a halftime substitute. The Nigerian made an instant impact when his cross into the box was headed home by Plaza, past Lara. Minutes later, the Trinidad And Tobago striker got a second when his shot from a tight angle crept past Lara at the near post to put the Blues 2-1 down.

At the other end, substitute Bidyashagar, replacing Leon, also made an instant impact when he got to Harmanpreet’s cross and found the back of the net from an almost impossible angle, to bring Bengaluru back on level terms.

The Blues kept knocking at Delhi’s door in search of the winner, and had a few good chances to retake the lead. First, Bidyashagar saw his effort parried by Lovepreet and Harmanpreet was unable to get to the rebound. Later, Harmanpreet skipped free down the right and found Sivasakthi with a cross, but a combination of Loverpreet's hands and a defender's goal-line clearance denied the striker his second of the game. The final chance saw Akashdeep sent free down the middle by Sivasakthi, but the youngster’s shot sailed inches wide of the post, and the Blues had to settle for a draw.

BFC are back in action on Tuesday, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, when they take on Indian Navy. 

 

Bengaluru to conclude AFC Cup campaign with clash against Maziya S&RC

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC will look to end their AFC Cup campaign on a good note when they take on Maldivian side Maziya S&RC at the National Stadium, in Male, on Tuesday. Although both sides are out of the running for the knockout stages of the competition, there’s much to play for with a win potentially lifting the Blues to second place on the group, while defeat will mean a bottom-placed finish.

“It’s true that Maziya have played two games and lost both, but we need to respect them as a team. We need to focus on our style and do our best against them. From the game against Tribhuvan Army FC in April to the one against Bashundhara Kings on Saturday, we have made several steps forward. Ours is a young team and we are looking to progress with each game we play,” Pezzaiuoli said.

The Blues fell 2-0 to Mohun Bagan in their opening group stage clash before a goalless draw against Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings on Saturday. Despite the stalemate confirming their elimination from the tournament, Pezzaiuoli maintained that his side were eager to finish on a high.

“In football it’s not always about winning. Yes, we wanted to do well in the AFC Cup but it wasn’t to be. It was tough to accept, but we trained this morning and I saw good team spirit and mentality from my players. We are eager to do well and finish on a good note against Maziya,” the Italian added.

The Blues’ boss confirmed that winger Ashique Kuruniyan would continue to miss out, having suffered an ankle injury in their playoff clash against Club Eagles. In a bid to give minutes to different players across positions, Pezzaiuoli handed debuts to summer signings Danish Farooq, Bidyashagar Singh, Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane, Alan Costa and Sarthak Golui in the first two group stage games. B Team graduate Sivasakthi Narayanan also clocked his first minutes for the senior team. 

Maziya, who began their AFC Cup group stage with a 2-0 loss to Bashundhara Kings, fell 3-1 to Mohun Bagan on Saturday, confirming their elimination from the tournament. The Blues have faced Maziya six times in the AFC Cup, winning on four occasions, and losing twice.

Kick-off at the National Stadium, in Male, is scheduled for 9.30 pm IST and will be telecast live on the STAR Sports Network, Disney+Hotstar and JioTV.

All to play for as Bengaluru face Bashundhara Kings in Malé

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli maintained there was no pressure on his side as they prepare to face Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings, in their penultimate Group D clash of the 2021 AFC Cup, on Saturday. Kings, who ran out 2-0 winners against Maziya S&RC in their first group stage game, will be eager to get the better of the Blues, who went down to Mohun Bagan by the same scoreline.

An own-goal from Mohammed Irufaan, followed by a strike from Brazilian winger Robinho, sealed three points for Oscar Bruzon’s side in their opening clash against Maziya S&RC. Speaking to the press ahead of the encounter, Blues’ boss Pezzaiuoli said the Bangladeshi side were a force to reckon with, having made light work of their League campaign, which they secured with four games left to play.

“We're up against a team from Bangladesh that scored 55 goals in the League and are champions. They conceded only nine goals in the League, and won their first group game 2-0. They score a lot of goals and have a strong defence, are compact at the back and counter very well. We might have to change things a little bit because this is our third game. Our plan will be to maybe go backwards a bit and create space behind them to score goals and create chances,” said Pezzaiuoli.

Bashundhara, who made their AFC Cup debut last season in a campaign that was cut short due to the COVID19 pandemic, retained the 2020-21 Bangladesh Federation Cup in January. Pezzaiuoli handed starts to Ajay Chhetri and Naorem Roshan Singh in the clash against Mohun Bagan, while Leon Augustine, Parag Shrivas and Ajith Kumar came off the bench in addition to summer signings Bidyashagar Singh and Danish Farooq.

“In life you cannot be negative. I choose to take the positives from the previous game where we had almost 70% ball possession against Mohun Bagan. I think we only need to improve in certain aspects. There is no pressure. Football is not about pressure. We enjoy the games, and I am sure every team wants to be the number one in the Group. We want to win, and so do Bashundhara Kings. We have worked hard in training, and focused on certain things. We want to better our free-kicks and corners, and create better chances and finish them,” Pezzaiuoli added.

Having made several new foreign signings in Raul Becerra, Jonathan Fernandes, Khaled Shafiei and Robinho (on loan from Fluminense), the Blues will have to be wary of Bashundhara Kings’ attack, with the BPL side scoring as many as 67 goals in all competitions this season.

Kick off between the Blues and Bashundhara Kings at the National Stadium is scheduled for 4.30 pm IST, and will be telecast live on the STAR Sports network, Hotstar and JioTV.

Bengaluru FC sign I-League top-scorer Bidyashagar

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC have bolstered their attacking line up with the signing of Bidyashagar Singh on a three-year contract, the club announced on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Manipuri becomes the eighth signing of the summer, and joins the Blues ahead of the upcoming AFC Cup playoff stage clash against Eagles FC.

Bidyashagar, who came through the Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC youth system, joined East Bengal in 2016. He first came into prominence when he took the Kolkata side’s U18 team to the finals of the 2016-17 U18 I-League, scoring six goals, including in both semifinals and final. He was promoted to the senior team and made his mark in the 2019 Durand Cup, even scoring twice in a 2-1 win over the Blues in the group stage.

“Signing for Bengaluru FC is like a dream come true for me. Now that I am here, I want to achieve more for the club and for myself. I am eager to improve and to contribute to helping this team to continue the winning legacy that it has established. I know that I am surrounded by so many great players like Sunil bhai and Gurpreet bhai, and I want to learn from them and develop further,” said Bidyashagar, after putting pen to paper on his deal. 

After making just 11 appearances in the I-League across two seasons, he returned to TRAU last year and his 12 goals, including two hat-tricks, took his boyhood side’s I-League title challenge to the final match day, with the team eventually finishing third in the standings.

“The opportunity to play for Bengaluru FC has arrived at the right time for me. Being in good form is very important for a striker and I would like to continue my good run here. My aim is to win trophies and to wear this club’s jersey with pride. I also want to do well here so that I can make it into our national team,” added Bidyashagar.

Comfortable playing on either flank, Bidyashagar became only the second Indian to pick up the I-League Golden Boot last season and in doing so, became only the fourth Indian to finish top scorer of a National League after Bhaichung Bhutia, Raman Vijayan and Blues’ skipper Sunil Chhetri. He was also named the ‘Hero of the Season’ and found a place in the I-League ‘Team of the Season.’

“Bidyashagar is a young player with a lot of potential. He is very eager to learn and make the next step and in the short time that he has been with us, he has shown us that he has the ability to score goals. The important thing now is to make sure he can bring his quality into our team and do that in the Indian Super League. He can play as a striker, as a winger and in behind the striker, which gives us a lot of options in attack,” said Blues’ Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli.

The Blues take on Club Eagles FC in their AFC Cup playoff clash, on August 15, in Maldives.