Former international Ilyas Pasha passes away

Karnataka and East Bengal stalwart remembered by the football fraternity

Renowned footballer Ilyas Pasha, aged 61, passed away on Thursday, 22/01/2026, at his residence in Guttahalli, Bangalore. Pasha, a celebrated figure in Indian football, began his career with Raja Mill Team and Vinayaka FC before making his mark with the famous ITI. His stellar performances helped ITI secure the BDFA League title. Thereafter, he was signed by Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting, and later joined East Bengal, where he enjoyed a long stint. 

Pasha represented Karnataka in the Santosh Trophy from 1986 to 1989 and later played for Bengal in the same tournament. He was part of the senior Indian national team and also served as vice-captain. 

After retiring, Pasha dedicated himself to coaching young footballers at Vinayaka Club and contributed as a fitness trainer for local cricket clubs.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and two sons. The football community, including KSFA, BDFA, and the Referees Committee, has expressed deep condolences. His body will be kept at his residence, and the burial is scheduled to take place at Mysore Road Graveyard today, January 22, at 5:30 pm. 

Karishma hat-trick helps Kickstart to floor East Bengal in IWL

Playing their first home game of Indian Women’s League (IWL) this season, Kickstart FC girls rolled past East Bengal 3-1 played at Bangalore Football Stadium today evening. With two back-to-back 3-goal win, Kickstart tops the IWL points table. 

It was the talented Karishma Shirvolkar again who drew the first blood in the dying moments of first-half regulation time from a misunderstanding from East Bengal defence. 

After changing ends, Kickstart ensured their cushion goal again from Karishma. She then completed her hat-trick in the 90th minute after East Bengal scored a consolation goal via Sulanjana Raul. 

Kickstart play their next game against Sports Odisha on Thursday, December 21, which also happens to be a home game.

S Thomas the first Federation Cup winning coach passes away

S Thomas, football player of the 60s, who turned up for the top clubs of India and coached the first Federation Cup winning team, ITI passed away today early morning at his residence. 

Thomas was 77 years old and was suffering from heart ailment. He left his only daughter, unfortunately, Thomas lost his wife only fifty days ago. 

During the heydays, Thomas played for East Bengal (63-66) and Mohammedan Sporting (67-71). He represented Karnataka in Santosh Trophy for five years.

Bengaluru look to hurl on disorganized East Bengal

AIFF Media 
JSW Media

In a fight between the arch-rivals from Bangalore and Kolkata in Hero I-League, reigning champions Bengaluru FC take on the table-topper Kingfisher East Bengal tomorrow at the Shree Kanterava Stadium.

Though Bengaluru have defeated the Red & Golds at home convincingly in past two seasons, they have tasted a 1-2 defeat in their away game this season.

In what may be termed as a mid-season slump, which seems to be far from over, the Blues are winless in last 6 rounds, and yet to win an away match.

East Bengal’s recent drop in form after six consecutive wins witnessed them picking only 2 points from last three matches. Their woe compounded when they lost the previous match to Aizawl FC. East Bengal still manage to stay at the top with a better goal difference than Mohun Bagan, the later, having played a match less.

Talking to the media, Bengaluru FC coach Roca termed it as a tough game, “We have a lot of positives from the last three games, the way we have played, creating more chances, we were on our way to winning, unfortunately, we were not so lucky!”

More than a month ago, Bengaluru’s fall started against the same team, which coach terms as ‘Pain’.

“We expect East Bengal coming hard on us. From three bad results, I am sure even for them this is an important game.” said the Spaniard.

Goals have eluded Bengaluru and Roca is wary of this, “It (goal) is the most important thing in football, we are creating chances but not efficient enough to score a goal, we are working on it.”

The visitors will be without their injured striker Willis Plaza and Didika Ralte, who is out owing to the automatic yellow card suspension. Bengaluru will go out without John Johnson.

East Bengal Coach, Trevor James Morgan realizes a ‘tough game’ is awaiting his troop. “Bengaluru is a good side with good players. I think we have to we have to perform well and get a result.

He added, “We are quite disappointed with the last two games we played against Shillong Lajong and Aizawl FC. We need to start winning and tomorrow’s game will be a tough one!”

As Harmanjot Singh Khabra set to cut loose against his former teammates tomorrow, so is Robin Singh who’s gearing up to take on Sunils and Eugenes, his ex-co-players.

The match is scheduled at 07:00 pm and it’ll be telecast live on Ten 2.

Bengaluru suffer first defeat of the season, fails to overcome East Bengal hurdle

Bengaluru Media 
AIFF Media

Bengaluru FC’s flawless start to the I-League campaign was dented when the Blues went down 2-1 to East Bengal in a high-voltage clash that saw tempers flare at the Barasat Stadium, in Kolkata, on Sunday. CK Vineeth’s opener for Bengaluru was matched with an Ivan Bukenya tap in before second-half substitute Robin Singh did the star turn for the hosts with a goal in the 79th minute to take the Kolkata club to second on the points table, with Aizawl FC set to play Mumbai FC later in the day.

Albert Roca rang in just the one change from the side that beat Mumbai FC on Wednesday, replacing Nishu Kumar with Sena Ralte in the left-back position as the youngster occupied an injured Sandesh Jhingan’s place on the Bengaluru bench.

With his sheen refusing to rub off, Vineeth shot Bengaluru to the lead in the 23rd minute after Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s run down the left was perfectly cut back into the path of the striker who put it past TP Rehenesh with a firm strike to silence the home fans at Barasat.

But East Bengal needed just five minutes to draw level when Bukenya caught the Blues’ defence off-guard and turned in a low corner to make it 1-1. Tempers flared when Sunil Chhetri was brought down by Mehtab Hossain as both sides went into the tunnel with the scores level and everything to play for.

Trevor Morgan started the second half throwing in striker Robin Singh for a rather ineffective Ildar Amirov and the change seemed to work as the former Bengaluru man drew Amrinder Singh into a save, hit the crossbar and slid in a delightful cross that Plaza, with an open goal at his mercy, missed completely.

But for all his individual brilliance, it was a lapse in defence that Robin capitalized on to make it 2-1 in the 79th minute. A rare error in judgment saw the ball skim off John Johnson’s head and fall on to the path of Robin’s run. With only Amrinder to beat, the striker made no mistake as he slotted calmly past the ’keeper to give the home side a late lead.

The Blues threw everything they had at a stubborn East Bengal defence as shots from Chhetri and Vineeth were saved by Rehenesh. A Lyngdoh effort sailed high of the East Bengal frame in the dying minutes as Morgan’s side held on for their third consecutive win of the season.

The Blues next travel to Goa where they will face Churchill Brothers, at the Fatorda Stadium, on Friday.

Difficult to think of a top league without top I-League teams: Sunando Dhar

CEO of I-League appeared unfazed about Sporting Clube de Goa’s exit and termed it as unfortunate. Dhar was present at the Garden City today inaugurating the Parikrama Champions League at the Bangalore Football Stadium. He added, “We were talking to everyone about the restructuring of Indian football. Nothing was finalized and everyone was kept in the loop. But Sporting didn’t want to wait that long.”

Apparently, few new teams have shown interest to be part of the I-League and now that the deadline has been extended, AIFF is confident of getting more bids. 

Interestingly while the Goan fans have shunned I-League in past few seasons, ISL is running packed houses. If they had the kind of fan base that an East Bengal or a Mohun Bagan or a Bengaluru FC has today, they couldn’t have pulled out of the league. The fans wouldn’t allow them to do so. Unfortunately that kind of fan base is missing in Goa. 

The fans have increased in Bengaluru, the North East, in Kolkata, and also in other places barring Goa.

On the ISL merger, in which a team per state was an ISL plan, however, for a National League, the best teams should play. In the history and fans, there isn’t a better team that Mohun Bagan or East Bengal in India. 

Dhar sounded confident about the presence of the Kolkata giants, “Don’t think there is anyone looking at a top league without Bagan or East Bengal. The discussions are going on and we hope to reach a conclusion. Not to forget Bengaluru FC, who has been the best team in last three years and it is difficult to think of a top league without the top team.” 

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.  

Chhetri on target as Bengaluru register their first win In Kolkata

AIFF Media 
Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC made a big statement of intent, beating a strong East Bengal side 1-0 after skipper Sunil Chhetri tapped home in the 60th minute to sink an otherwise noisy Barasat Stadium into silence as the Blues made sure they left Kolkata as table toppers, on Saturday.

Most of the talk building up to the game revolved around the fact that Bengaluru FC had never scored against East Bengal in Kolkata, let alone beat them. And Rino Anto, addressing the question in the pre-match press conference, vowed that both the jinxes would be broken. It was only fair that the right-back provided the assist for the goal.

Ashley Westwood went into the game with a fairly altered starting XI from the side that was beaten 2-0 in Mumbai on Wednesday. Amrinder Singh was handed his debut in goal while Len Doungel earned his first start. Young Malsawmzuala and Thoi Singh were the other two changes that the gaffer effected, in midfield after Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s knock on his ankle that he picked from the Mumbai game, hadn’t healed completely.  

Bengaluru FC’s best chance of the first half came in the 40th minute when Doungel handed Kim a cut back that the striker should have done more with than flash wide from just outside the box. Westwood and the Bengaluru bench had their arms up soon in the second half again when Chhetri, unchallenged, saw his shot saved by TP Rehenesh after being found at the end of Shankar Sampingiraj’s cross from the right.

But Chhetri didn’t have to wait long to makes amends, turning up at the right place and at the right time to tap in Rino Anto’s cross on the hour mark that sank Barasat into silence. With no choice but to chase the game, East Bengal threw numbers in attack only to be caught out on the counter by the Blues who used Len’s pace to good effect.

Bengaluru, in fact, could have got a second only three minutes later when Kim, after combining well with Chhetri and Len, saw  his shot saved by Rehenesh from close.   

Desperate for a goal to bring them back in the game, East Bengal pushed further but The Blues’ defence was too compact to let anything through. John Johnson and Curtis Osano gave Ranti Martins no joy while Lalchhuanmawia put in a brilliant shift in shutting out the pace of Do Dong down the left. Anything that did get past them was comfortably dealt with by Amrinder who pulled off a good save off a Dong freekick late in the second half and it was his composed show that saw him walk away with the man-of-the-match gong.

Bengaluru now have 12 points from five games and play their next three games at home, hosting Sporting Clube de Goa (Feb.6), DSK Shivajians (Feb.10) and Mohun Bagan (Feb. 13). 

Bengaluru test for East Bengal

Bengaluru FC Media

After suffering their first defeat of the Hero I-League, Blues are up against East Bengal with only a point separating the two atop table

Ashley Westwood went the other way of popular belief and said his Bengaluru FC side was under no pressure as they prepare to take on East Bengal at the Barasat Stadium, in Kolkata, on Saturday. The Blues suffered their first defeat of the League, going down 2-0 to Mumbai FC at the Cooperage on Wednesday and while the media suggested the result added a hint of pressure before a key game, Westwood chose to think otherwise.

“If you look at the League as it is, we’re through a quarter of it and if you win three out of every four games, you’ll win the League. So, there’s no real pressure on us. Statistically you normally win only 25% of your away games; we’ve won 66% of them so hopefully it will pay dividends at the end of the season,” said the gaffer while addressing the media along with right-back Rino Anto, in Kolkata on the eve of the game.

The Blues, with 9 points from four games, lead a table that has East Bengal trailing them by only a point and Westwood stated that the Kolkata club looked a more solid unit than last season. “They have the new Korean lad (Do Dong) ahead and he is quick, while Ranti Martins is physical. They definitely look more solid this season than last.”

The two teams have met four times in the League with East Bengal winning three of those games. However, Bengaluru FC turned the tide the last time the two met with a comprehensive 3-0 result at the Kanteerava. And Rino believes the new additions to the Blues’ squad have only strengthened them since. “We’ve always been about churning out a good work rate and with our new signings that has only improved. We may not have had the best of outings against East Bengal in the past but we have the quality to change that.”

Saturday will be the first time Bengaluru FC play at the Barasat and on being questioned whether Bengaluru FC’s choosing not to train at the venue on match eve would make things difficult in terms of gauging conditions, Westwood brushed aside the suggestion. “We usually never train at the match venue a day before. There’s a myth in India that you should go and train at the venue before the game but that doesn’t happen in England. I don’t see why it must happen here,” said Westwood.

A rescheduled kick-off means a 4.05 pm start to the game which will be telecast live on Ten Action. 

Play for Nepal: East Bengal lifts Garden City Fan's Derby via penalties

When you have the biggest on-field enemies, drama is bound to happen. That was exactly the atmosphere of the Fan’s Derby organized by Love for the Game in memory of Nepal earthquake.

After a stalemate in regulation time, the match went on to the penalties. Other than the online viewers watching the live streaming on www.beamitlive.com/loveforthegame, there were few hundred supporters present on the venue, Kicks on Grass, jeering and cheering. Regulation time saw some good skills from both teams, missing with goals by a whisker. 

The derby culminated at penalties with East Bengal getting the better of Mariners@Bangalore by a narrow 4-3 margin. 

Mukul Das was adjudged the best player for Mariners@Bangalore while Jit getting the best player award for the winning team. 

The cause is ably supported by the reigning ISL- Indian Super League Champions Atlético de Kolkata! 

The organizers, Love for the Game, are not charging any participation fee for this tournament. Rather the participating teams are requested to pull money in the form of cash/cheque and hand over to the organizers on the event day. They will donate the same amount to the cause of Nepal earthquake relief.

For Nepal earthquake donations through Love for the Game do email them at loveforthegame@outlook.com or call at +91-9916798822/+91-8095264888. 

Play for Nepal partners: 

• Broadcast partner - BeamitLive
• Mobility Partner - Uber
• Banking Partner - YES BANK
• Telecom Partner - Aircel India
• Beverage Partner - Kingfisher 
• Booking Partner - Book your games
• Vehicle Partner - Pratham Motors
• Venue Partner - Kicks on Grass 
• Media Partners - Football News India, Football in Bangalore, Indian Football 

Play for Nepal: Kolkata Fan's Derby in the Garden City!

Another football-filled weekend is lining up as the Garden City-based FAN-atics of McDowels Mohun bagan and Kingfisher East Bengal fight for the Fan's Derby, a charity event presented by Love for the Game organized in the memory of Nepal earthquake. 

Popularly known as the Kolkata Derby, Mohun Bagan versus East Bengal football match is one of the top 10 popular football derbies across the globe. Representing Mohun Bagan is the very popular fans group, Mariners@Bangalore and East Bengal will be represented by East Bengal in Bangalore group. 

The event will be played at Sunday, June 7, 6.30 pm at Kicks on Grass, Bellandur. 

The match will be broadcasted live over the internet via www.beamitlive.com/loveforthegame. 

The cause is ably supported by the reigning ISL- Indian Super League Champions Atlético de Kolkata! 

The organizers, Love for the Game, are not charging any participation fee for this tournament. Rather the participating teams are requested to pull money in the form of cash/cheque and hand over to the organizers on the event day. They will donate the same amount to the cause of Nepal earthquake relief.

For Nepal earthquake donations through Love for the Game do email them at loveforthegame@outlook.com or call at +91-9916798822/+91-8095264888. 

Play for Nepal partners: 

• Broadcast partner - BeamitLive
• Mobility Partner - Uber
• Banking Partner - YES BANK
• Telecom Partner - Aircel India
• Beverage Partner - Kingfisher 
• Booking Partner - Book your games
• Vehicle Partner - Pratham Motors
• Venue Partner - Kicks on Grass
• Media Partners - Football News India, Football in Bangalore, Indian Football 

Bengaluru outwits East Bengal at the Fortress

Courtesy: AIFF Media  

Bengaluru FC asserted their pedigree as Title aspirants and showcased that the Hero I-League pedestal was still far from Mohun Bagan’s taking as they decimated Kingfisher East Bengal 3-0 today evening at the Kantaveera Stadium in Bengaluru.

The Steelmen took early lead in the 31st minute when Sean Rooney evaded his marker and timed a sweet volley, which crashed into the back of the net.

The I-League Champions doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Captain marvelous Sunil Chhetri produced a thunderous header, following a pin-point Eugenson Lyngdoh cross, which blazed past Abhijeet Mondal.

Robin Singh provided the icing on the cake and scored a sublime goal in the 89th minute to grab all three points for Bengaluru FC.

Coming into the match Bengaluru FC’s gaffer Ashley Westwood opted to start with all four foreigners available. The strike force of Sunil Chhetri and CK Vineet, powered by the industrious legs in midfield of Eugenson Lyngdoh provided a framework for the Home Team to match their opponents, who have imitated a Dutch-style of Football.

The harbinger of Dutch football in East Bengal, Eelco Schattorie, included Avinash Rui Das in the starting lineup, whilst old war horse Arnab Mondal was replaced by Deepak Mandal, due to injury.

Both Team indulged in an end-to-end stuff from the early minutes of the match and did sheer justice to the hype of the match.

Dudu’s constant pressing and harassing of the Bengaluru defence almost provided dividends for the away Team in the 4th minute, when Rino Anto failed to control a backpass, fostering an opportunity for the Nigerian striker, which however was sweeped clear by Ralte.

Seven minutes later the Nigerian striker once again got into the thick of the action and lined up a shot, which flew wide of the post.

Bengaluru FC meanwhile were garnering their own opportunities, which although came in plenty, lacked the pivotal touch in.

CK Vineet’s long ranger in the 15th minute did little to trouble Abhijeet Mondal as Bengaluru FC started to roll their juggernaut. Minutes later Sunil Chhetri’s stunner-of-an-attempt was saved acrobatically by Abhijeet Mondal, as Bengaluru FC started to gear up their ante and dictate the pace of the match.

Albeit East Bengal dominated possession, it was their opponents Bengaluru FC who registered more shots on goal and lead 1-0 at the Halftime.

The second Goal in the 60th minute insured Bengaluru FC that all three points were of their taking. Nevertheless, the Blue juggernaut continued to roll and gather momentum with every passing second.

Robin Singh came close to tripling Bengaluru FC’s lead, when a dazzling run on the right asphalt by Eugenson Lyngdoh, was scooped over the post by the striker.

With three points close to secured the home Team sat back and allowed their opponents to dominate possession and control the flow of the Game.

The Red and Gold brigade came close to halving their deficit in the 80th minute when a panoply of exquisite passes saw a well-timed cross from the right flank, and had Dudu been able to connect with it, it would certainly result in a goal.

Nevertheless, East Bengal were handed another attempt to halve the deficit minutes later when Harmanjot Khabra’s cross was met by the bombarding header of Dudu, whose attempt was saved acrobatically by Ralte.

After increasing their goal difference in the 89th minute, the I-League Champions toyed with the ball and thwarted away attacks on their citadel.

Bengaluru FC averred their pedigree as Title aspirants and showcased that the Hero I-League pedestal was still far from Mohun Bagan’s taking as they decimated Kingfisher East Bengal 3-0 on Sunday (May 3, 2015) at the Kantaveera Stadium in Bengaluru.

The ‘Boys in Blue’ took an early lead in the 31st minute when Sean Rooney evaded his marker and timed a sweet volley, which crashed into the back of the net.

The I-League Champions doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Captain Marvellous Sunil Chhetri produced a thunderous header, following a pin-point Eugenson Lyngdoh cross, which blazed past Abhijeet Mondal.

Robin Singh provided the icing on the cake and scored a sublime goal in the 89th minute to grab all three points for Bengaluru FC.

Coming into the match Bengaluru FC’s gaffer Ashley Westwood opted to start with all four foreigners available – Curtis Osano, Joshua Walker, Sean Rooney and John Johnson. The strike force of Sunil Chhetri and CK Vineet, powered by the industrious legs in midfield of Eugenson Lyngdoh provided a framework for the Home Team to match their opponents, who have imitated a Dutch-style of Football.

The harbinger of Dutch football in East Bengal, Eelco Schattorie, included Avinash Rui Das in the starting lineup, whilst old war horse Arnab Mondal was replaced by Deepak Mandal, due to injury.

Both Team indulged in an end-to-end stuff from the early minutes of the match and did sheer justice to the hype of the match.

Dudu’s constant pressing and harassing of the Bengaluru defence almost provided dividends for the away Team in the 4th minute, when Rino Anto failed to control a backpass, fostering an opportunity for the Nigerian striker, which however was sweeped clear by Ralte.

Seven minutes later the Nigerian striker once again got into the thick of the action and lined up a shot, which flew wide of the post.

Bengaluru FC meanwhile were garnering their own opportunities, which although came in plenty, lacked the pivotal touch in.

CK Vineet’s long ranger in the 15th minute did little to trouble Abhijeet Mondal as Bengaluru FC started to roll their juggernaut. Minutes later Sunil Chhetri’s stunner-of-an-attempt was saved acrobatically by Abhijeet Mondal, as Bengaluru FC started to gear up their ante and dictate the pace of the match.

Albeit East Bengal dominated possession, it was their opponents Bengaluru FC who registered more shots on goal and lead 1-0 at the Halftime.

The second Goal in the 60th minute insured Bengaluru FC that all three points were of their taking. Nevertheless, the Blue juggernaut continued to roll and gather momentum with every passing second.

Robin Singh came close to tripling Bengaluru FC’s lead, when a dazzling run on the right asphalt by Eugenson Lyngdoh, was scooped over the post by the striker.

With three points close to secured the home Team sat back and allowed their opponents to dominate possession and control the flow of the Game.

The Red and Gold brigade came close to halving their deficit in the 80th minute when a panoply of exquisite passes saw a well-timed cross from the right flank, and had Dudu been able to connect with it, it would certainly result in a goal.

Nevertheless, East Bengal were handed another attempt to halve the deficit minutes later when Harmanjot Khabra’s cross was met by the bombarding header of Dudu, whose attempt was saved acrobatically by Ralte.

After increasing their goal difference in the 89th minute, the I-League Champions toyed with the ball and thwarted away attacks on their citadel.

At the end of ninety minutes the scoreline read 3-0 in favor of Bengaluru FC as they continue their surge upward in the Hero I-League table. 

Bengaluru keen to post their first victory against injury-stricken East Bengal

The fight is between the second and the fourth placed team in the current points table in Hero I-League when Bengaluru FC hosts Kingfisher East Bengal tomorrow, 7 pm, at Shree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore. 

With 5 rounds to play and just two points separating them, both the teams are in title contention.   

Bengaluru FC and Kingfisher East Bengal both represented in the AFC Cup. Bengaluru have had balanced Hero I-League and AFC Cup commitments quite ably so far, especially the AFC Cup, where participating teams find hard focus both. They have already qualified for the next round and with a game left against the Persipura Jayapura at home, they can still top the group. 

The story is possibly not the same for Kingfisher East Bengal, they have already eliminated from the AFC Cup competition. But then they have a key stat that is favoring them – the fact that they have remained unbeaten against the Steelmen thus far! 

However, the unbeaten tag is surely not giving them any comfort as the team looks depleted, owing to injury. As many as half of the players from the starting eleven are battling with injury! Dudu Omagbemi, Leo Bertos, Harmanjot Khabra, and company are all doubtful for tomorrow’s game. 

It must have been really challenging task for the Bengaluru gaffer in terms of taking his team to the last 16 of the AFC Cup and then eyeing to keep back the I-League. Speaking to the media, Ashley sounded nonchalant, “We focus only for the next game and try to win every game we play. The fact that we lost only four game in the season reflects we try and win every one! That’s what we will be doing till the end of the season.”

The real deal for the hosts would be the first win against the Kolkata giants and stay in contention for the title.

[Event] Play for Nepal

As we all know that our Himalayan neighbor Nepal is going through tremendous distress and pain, perhaps toughest time they have ever been through. In this hour of such great agony Love for the Game has decided to stand up and lend support to our friends who need help.

With the sole objective of raising funds to be donated to for the aid of Nepal Earthquake victims, Love for the Game is organizing two back to back events in this month. 

The first one would be a duel between the Bangalore-based fan clubs of the eternal rivals McDowell Mohun Bagan AC and  Kingfisher East Bengal - the two fan club teams will lock horns on May 23, 2015 at Kicks on Grass for #thegamethatmatters and #PlayforPride! 

This will be followed up the very next week, May 31, 2015 same the same venue Kicks on Grass by the big one - Community Cup. 

Community Cup will feature the fan club teams and football communities housed in Bangalore, who will play a dawn-to-dusk tournament to raise funds for the Nepal Earthquake victims. This is much more than football, they will be playing for pride, they will be playing for humanity, and above all they will PLAY FOR NEPAL. 

There will be no restrictions on entry fee for both these events. The objective is to collect and donate as much as possible from all of us put together. Fan clubs and communities are requested the to collect as much as they can by themselves, Love for the Game would in turn hand over the entire sum of money to the Relief funds which have been set up.

Also, there are no cash prizes on offer for both these events as the entire collected money will be donated. The winner will definitely cherish the trophy which would be presented. 

Talks are on the final stages with the Relief Fund Organizations and NGOs ensuring to select whom to donate the money as every penny should be utilized for the right cause.

Both events will be streamed live on the internet via our Broadcast Partner BeamitLive - http://beamitlive.com/loveforthegame. 

Kicks on Grass already have been very generous to lend their support by becoming Venue Partners for these events. 

www.gcsstars.com and thif-live.com are the Media Partners.

Love for the Game is looking out for few more sponsors and partners who want to stand up with them for this noble cause. 

Interested parties – individuals, fan clubs, communities, or teams who want to get associated with this event can get in touch. All the necessary information is available here - www.loveforthegame.in or visit the FaceBook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-for-the-Game/1596977423850359?ref=br_rs.