FC Bengaluru United beat Kickstart 1-0 in hard fought-clash

 FCBU Media 

In what could be described as season’s title-defining clash, giants FC Bengaluru United (FCBU) and Kickstart FC confronted under the sunny skies and before the cheering supporters at the Bengaluru Football Stadium. In the end, FCBU carved out a hard-fought 1-0 win over Kickstart FC. 

Both teams had their moments in this see-saw game before Luka Majcen scored in the 82nd minute to give defending champions FCBU a well-deserved win. 

Both were slow to get off the blocks – but they gradually began to up the ante, creating half chances and trying to wrest possession. Luka, Aenem K Jurwa and Batskhemlang Thangkhiew were bright in attack for FCBU, while James Singh and Kinshuk Debnath were strong at the back. Soon after the water break in the first half, both teams came close to scoring – two chances for Luka Majcen were saved by the Kickstart goalkeeper, while FCBU goalkeeper Srijith put in a spectacular save to keep Kickstart at bay.

Coming out in the second half, both teams went on the attack right away, the game moving from one counterattack to the other. In the 55th minute a corner from FCBU taken by Aenam was set up for Luka but he was unable to see it through. This was followed by Kickstart failing to make the most of their freekick – as the pendulum continued to constantly swing. 

FC Bengaluru United were relentless in their charge; in the 76th minute a brilliant corner taken by Bedashwar was beautifully set up for Denil, whose shot just hit the post. FCBU’s dogged persistence finally paid off; in the 82nd minute, Kynsailang Khongsit’s smartly placed cross to Luka was adroitly controlled by the Slovenian striker and finished off in a thumping goal.

A thrilling win for FCBU that keeps their unbeaten run intact and sets them up well for the remainder of the tournament.  

FC Bengaluru United thrash Deccan in a goal fest

FCBU Media 

FC Bengaluru United put in a commanding performance to thrash FC Deccan 9-0 in the ongoing BDFA Super Division Championship 2021-22. Subash Singh (48, 69, 83) scored a hattrick while Luka Majcen (40, 66), Ronaldo Oliviera (10), Bedashwor Singh (21,59), and Jaison Vaz (90+1) were the other goal scorers as the defending champions recorded their sixth win on the trot in style.

Both teams started off slowly at the Bangalore Football Stadium with neither gaining the upper hand early on. In the 10thth minute, Ronaldo made the most of a smart play between James Singh and Bedashwor to get FCBU on the scoreboard. FCBU slowly began to up the ante and in the 21 st minute, a long free kick from Kinshuk was smartly set up by Luka in the box for Bedashwor to get FCBU up 2-0. The match remained on fairly even keel till the 40th minute when a corner taken by Ronaldo was headed back into the box by Kinshuk for Luka to score his first goal of the match.  

The second half though saw the defending champions really stamp their authority on the game with a string of attacking plays and goals. It started off with a penalty taken by Subash in the 48th minute and within 11 minutes after, Bedashwor scored to get FCBU up 5-0. On the attack now, FCBU set up their goals with well-played pieces, James’ long ball from the midfield was smartly controlled by Luka to push FCBU to 6-0 in the 66th minute. Within minutes, Aenam K Jurwa’s pass to Subash saw him neatly take on the FC Deccan goalkeeper to score his second of the game. Not content with two, the striker soon notched up his second hattrick of the tournament in the 83rd minute as FCBU went up 8-0. Jaison Vaz chipped in with another goal in extra time as FCBU sealed a dominant win.

 

FC Bengaluru United beat Kodagu 4-0, record straight fifth win in BDFA Super Division

FCBU Media 

In a strong showing of attacking prowess against a spirited opponent’s defence, FC Bengaluru United beat Kodagu FC 4-0 in the ongoing BDFA Super Division Championship 2021-22 at the Bangalore Football stadium. Ronaldo Oliviera (38), James Singh (53), Luka Majcen (65), and Bedashwar Singh (68) were the goal scorers for the defending champions. A record fifth win in as many games played in the league. 

Majcen was seen attacking for the home team, creating a couple of strong half chances. The deadlock was broken in the 38th minute – Ronaldo’s first shot on goal was parried away by the Kodagu keeper; Ronaldo though was quick to make the most of the rebound. FCBU went into half-time, clearly with the upper hand. Kodagu, while strong in defence, failed to mount any strong attack, with Kinshuk Debnath holding the FCBU defence together.

FCBU came out looking to attack even more strongly in the second half. In the 53rd minute, James made the most of a strong Aenam G Jurwa run into the box after a free kick to get FCBU 2-0 up. Majcen, who had been on top of his game for most of the match thus far, finally managed to convert a chance in the 65th minute – making the most of a deflection off the Kodagu goalkeeper and adroitly avoiding two Kodagu defenders to score into the open net. Three minutes later, Kynsailang Khongsit took a shot on goal off a Ronaldo cross that deflected and landed neatly in front of an open net for Bedashwor Singh to get FCBU 4-0 up.

In the 84th minute Kodagu were awarded a penalty, but the chance was saved by the diving FCBU goalkeeper Kunzang Bhutia. 

 

FC Bengaluru United seal dominant win over Eagles

FCBU Media 

FC Bengaluru United put in a commanding performance to beat Bangalore Eagles 4-0 in their third game of the ongoing BDFA Super Division Championship 2021-22. A brace from Luka Majcen (1, 33), Ronaldo Oliviera (16) and Batskhemlang Thangkiew (81) sealed an all-round show from the defending champions.

FCBU were quick off the blocks, getting into their opposition’s half in the very first minute of the game. A corner taken by Ronaldo was beautifully flicked to Majcen who powered in a header to get his team on the scoreboard. FCBU kept the pressure up, constantly creating chances especially from the wings. 

The second goal wasn’t long in coming – in the 16th minute a deftly crafted play between Denil and Batskhemlang set up a scoring opportunity for Ronaldo who made no mistake. There was no let-up in the intensity from the defending champions – in the 33rd minute, Bedashwar Singh and Denil combined to set up an easy tap-in for Majcen.

Bangalore Eagles upped the ante in the second half but the FCBU defence held firm, with Kinshuk, Robin Gurung, James Singh keeping them at bay, together with Srijith at the goal. A stunning long ball from Kinshuk Debnath in the 81st minute, followed by a perfect set up courtesy Ronaldo and Majcen, helped create an easy chance for Batskhemlang to make it 4-0. FCBU will be happy with their third consecutive win, and the fact that they haven’t conceded a goal thus far - an all-round team effort that holds them in good stead for the remainder of the game ahead.

 

FCBU sparkle with 3-0 win over MEG

FCBU Media 

Defending champions FC Bengaluru United put on a stellar display to beat MEG 3-0 in their third game of the BDFA Super Division Championship 2021-22 at the Bangalore Football Stadium. Luka Majcen scored a brace (50, 70) and Aenem G Jyrwa chipped in as well (24) as FCBU kept up the momentum from their previous game to record their second consecutive win in the tournament.

FCBU made an aggressive start, testing the MEG defense from the get go. The first ten minutes saw FCBU consistently in MEG’s half, creating half chances through corners and free kicks and MEG had to work hard to keep FCBU’s headers out. The deadlock was broken in the 23rd minute – a strong counterattack by Luka Majcen saw him wrest the ball from the MEG midfielders and pass it on to Ronaldo Oliviera. With a series of deft touches, Ronaldo dribbled past the MEG defense to square it across the box to Aenam who tapped it in neatly to get FCBU on the scoreboard. FCBU kept up the pressure right through the first half, consistently attacking the goal. MEG slowly picked up the pace as well towards the end of the first half, but the FCBU defense held strong to keep them at bay.

FCBU began the second half on a strong note creating a chance within the first five minutes of resumption. A cross from Ronaldo in the wings was headed by Luka towards the goal only to be carried away by the MEG defender for a handball. FCBU were awarded a penalty that was cleanly put away by Luka to put FCBU 2-0 up in the 50th minute. Despite being 2-0 up, the defending champions didn’t get their foot off the pedal – in the 70th minute Subash Singh, who came in as a substitute in the second half, crafted a strong run right to the box setting up Aenem, who smartly back flicked the ball to Luka for the Slovenian to score his second goal of the game.

 

Solid Rajasthan hold favourites Bengaluru United to 1-1 draw

I-League Media

The second match in Group A saw a faceoff between Rajasthan United FC (RUFC) and FC Bengaluru United (FCBU) at the Bangalore Football Stadium today.

A back and forth game between both teams saw Bengaluru United enjoy a solid first half, while the team from Rajasthan came back in the second period to draw level by outplaying their opponents for a large part of the game. The match finished 1-1, with FCBU defender Kinshuk Debnath facing ejection after a red card in the 86th minute.

The match began with both teams feeling each other out in the first ten minutes, but Bengaluru United started to grow more into the game progressively as they got hold of more of the ball. As Bengaluru United looked to build out from the back, the team looked confident of looking after the ball and using the whole length and breadth of the pitch.

Rajasthan United looked to follow a set game plan which showed signs of a strategy that involved keeping the score at 0-0 in the opening period and not conceding an early goal. As the game progressed RUFC dug in and gave a good account of themselves against difficult opposition. They looked to attack Bengaluru United with long vertical passes to transition from defence into attack at high speed. RUFC had some promising moments where it looked like they could release either winger; Dilliram Sanyasi or Aman Thapa, but they lacked the final quality of pass that would have put the wingers through on goal.

The game moved in ebbs and flows early on, and sprung into life towards the latter end of the first half. FCBU’s fancied Spanish striker Pedro Manzi began to get a look of more of the ball in promising situations in the opponent’s half. However, it was his strike partner Luka Majcen who had the first real chance of the game, as FCBU winger Gopi flighted in a looping cross from the right wing which was met by the late-arriving Slovenian, who produced a first time volley towards the near post. The shot was saved with an agile dive towards the ball by goalkeeper Vishal Joon.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute of the game from an FCBU set piece opportunity. After winning a free kick in a promising position on the left flank, Sanju Pradhan delivered a precise cross which was directed goalwards by Luka Majcen. After Vishal Joon saved the initial attempt, Pedro Manzi followed up to finish the rebound by putting the ball high into the roof of the net. This came as the former Hero I-League Golden Boot winner’s first goal of HILQ 2021.

RUFC looked to direct its attack on the Bengaluru United goal through their wings, with their wide players looking the most likely to find an opening. At the stroke of half time, RUFC built a well coordinated move up the pitch which saw all their attacking players combine smoothly. They could not find a scoring opportunity, but the play must have given the team an understanding of how to approach the second half.

Ten minutes after the restart, RUFC came agonisingly close to scoring an equalising goal from a set piece of their own this time. As Aman Thapa delivered a fantastically shaped cross towards the 6 yard box, it was begging for a final touch from an RUFC player to put the ball home. Instead, the ball bounced out tantalisingly for another corner kick.

Much like proceedings in the first half, the game went through a lull for a brief period, before springing back into action when Rajasthan United equalised through their striker Sukhjit Singh in the 78th minute. The goal came from a move that was begun by Aman Thapa, as the Rajasthan United number 7 seemed to cause Bengaluru United’s backline all sorts of trouble. He combined well to drive the ball up the field and feed Sukhjit Singh, who came onto his left foot to take a shot that took a wicked deflection off an FCBU player, leaving goalkeeper Kunzang Bhutia completely wrong footed. RUFC got the slice of luck with the deflection, but the side richly deserved their goal for their thorough domination throughout the second half.

The restored parity set up an exciting end to the game for the final few minutes, but things turned from bad to worse for FCBU when veteran centre back Kinshuk Debnath got a red card for hampering an opposition player when he was through on goal. From the resultant free kick within range of goal, Aman Thapa drew a smart save from keeper Kunzang Bhutia, who tipped a fierce shot over the bar.

Down to 10 men, FCBU looked to not only protect their one point, but also made efforts to grab all three through opportunistic attempts of their own.

Pedro Manzi got a half chance from a near post header, which drew a reaction save from Vishal Joon, who steered the danger clear. The match finished with both teams having their respective strong phases in the game, which eventually led to them cancelling each other out.

Rajasthan United remain in a favourable position on top of Group A with four points from two matches, while FC Bengaluru United have ground to make up. 

FC Bengaluru United sign strikers Luka Majcen and Pedro Manzi

FCBU Media 

Ahead of the upcoming domestic season, BDFA Super Division Champions FC Bengaluru United (FCBU) have signed Luka Majcen and Pedro Manzi, as the club looks to add additional firepower to its attack for the upcoming domestic season. The foreign duo’s first assignment for the club will be the Durand Cup. The tournament begins in Kolkata next month and FCBU are one of the 16 teams invited to participate in it. 

The 32-year-old Slovenian forward Luka Majcen joins FCBU as a free agent, following a one-season stint with Churchill Brothers in last season's I-League. Majcen finished the I-League season with an impressive return of 11 goals; a tally which saw him finish second in the Golden Boot race in the league. He also registered two assists to go with his 11 goals. Before his entry into the Indian domestic football circuit in 2020, Majcen plied his trade in Slovenian football, representing several top clubs in the region. He is a two-time winner of the Slovenian Cup, which is the top knockout tournament in Slovenian football.

“I am delighted to join FC Bengaluru United for the new season," Majcen said. "The club has a clear goal and vision about where they see themselves in the coming years - which is to be playing in the I-League. My objective is to help the team win and achieve this goal together with my new teammates. I am excited about the opportunity and am looking forward to working with Head Coach Richard Hood, whose reputation as one of the sharpest coaches in Indian football precedes him,” said Majcen.

Luka Majcen will be looking to form a partnership in attack with fellow new signee Pedro Manzi. Manzi took Indian football by storm in his debut season with Chennai City FC in the 2018-19 I-League. The Spanish forward finished that season as the Golden Boot winner in the I-League with 26 goals. His exploits led Chennai City FC to the I-League crown that season, and FCBU will be hoping that their new recruit will be able to recreate his goal scoring form from that particular season.

“I am very happy to return to India and play for FC Bengaluru United. Bengaluru has a great sporting culture, and the fans really support their team. I would like to use all my career experience to help the team grow, whether it is with my offensive tactical play, assists for goals and also the way I apply pressure with my defensive skills," Manzi said. "Being part of the FC Bengaluru United journey will help me in my own professional journey. I was excited to accept this challenge and look forward to playing a leading role in guiding the club to the I-League. The club has seamless processes in place and has enjoyed a great growth journey over the last few years – the results are there for all to see. So, it was very easy for me to accept the offer after speaking to their head Coach, Richard Hood and General Manager, Somanna CS," Manzi said. 

"With 2 foreign players allowed on the pitch there was a lot of effort behind the analysis that went into identifying and securing our prime targets for our promotion bid," said Richard Hood, Head Coach, FC Bengaluru United. "In Luka we have a thorough team player who brings a lot of hunger, intensity and ferocity with every minute that he is involved in. There is a tremendous work ethic and desire to win that complements our playing style from the front both on and off the ball. His efforts are sure to get us a lot of goals. Pedro is lethal in the final third of the pitch and has proven that with plenty of conviction in two campaigns of the I-League. Apart from his scoring and high assist track record - we recognised his strong play making abilities around which we have built a squad that will control the game and progress the attack with pace and precision."