Oman gets better of India in FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifier

Putting up a decent show after a horrendous first 20 minutes, host India fall down 1-2 against Oman in a FIFA 2018 World Cup football qualifying match at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday. 

Much before the 19000-plus spectators settled down on their seat, Oman took the lead from a powerful show from striker Qasin Said. The goal came as early as 21st second from kick-off was an outcome from poor defending. 

The goal left the defense in tatters. As many as three defenders in Rino Anto, Dhanachandra Singh, and Lalchhuan Mawia debuted for India today. Their lack of understanding between skipper Arnad Mondal looked evident. 

However, India was quick enough to equalize on a lapse from Oman defense. Vice-captain curled an outstanding left footer from the top corner of the box. That was a stunner from Namma Bengaluru FC player which left the opponent dumbfounded.   

Hosts gained confidence and started controlling the midfield. 

It was the Indian defense again gave away a penalty to their opponent when Dhanachandra brought down Eid Mohammed inside the box. Amad Al-Hosni gave Oman 2-1 lead.  

Post lemon break, India dished out a much improved performance, keeper Paul was seen hardy in any kind of trouble. They almost got the equalizer in the 69th minute via Robin Singh, when a variation in corner flummoxed Oman defense. However, South Korean referee ruled out the goal much to the displeasure of crowd. 

India is placed in Group D in the Asian group with Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan, and Guam. The matches will be played in home and away basis. India will be travelling to Guam for their next match. The top two teams would advance to the next round. 

In-form Bengaluru face depleted Bharat FC

AIFF & Bengaluru FC media 

A severely depleted Bharat FC host in-form Bengaluru FC in the Round 19 match of the I-League football championship at the Balewadi Sports Complex ground here on Friday. 

Ashley Westwood’s team had, only two days earlier, blanked Pune FC 2-0 in a performance that left little to be desired and a win against the League’s newest side will take the Blues to second on the table.

Coming in to the match after 1-1 draw against Shillong Lajong FC, Bharat FC will be looking to score past the defending champions Bengaluru, who haven’t done anything wrong so far despite playing in India and abroad. 

While the gaffer lauded the team on the way they went about the win, he admitted the Blues would have to churn out an encore on Friday if they are to take away anything from the game. “On Tuesday, we came with a plan, executed it and got the job done. But we are well aware that the game against Bharat will be a tough one given the fact that we will be up against a side who have one of the best defensive records in the League. They may not have won as many games as they would have liked to but there’s many occasions where they came close to turning a draw into victory. We will have to reproduce a high standard of football if we are to take anything away from this game,” said Westwood while addressing the press on Thursday.

A Eugeneson Lyngdoh wonder striker separated the two sides when Bharat traveled to Bengaluru early in the season. 

Westwood will have Robin Singh back in the reckoning after the striker served his suspension in the game against Pune FC and it will be interesting to see the formation the gaffer chooses to roll out on Friday given he tweaked shape in the win on Tuesday. “We have a fully fit squad and no suspensions to deal with. I feel sorry for leaving a few players at home given how tightly knit a squad we are but what it goes to show is the depth in squad we have.”

Bharat, meanwhile, have to contend with three suspensions in defenders Dharmaraj Ravanan, Gouramangi Singh and goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya. The race to the title was handed a twist on Wednesday when Dempo scored a dramatic late winner to down second-placed Royal Wahingdoh 3-2, in Goa. Earlier last week, the Shillong side beat leaders Mohun Bagan in similar fashion and an identical scoreline to throw things open. But while Westwood believes the title is Bagan’s to lose, he is confident that the Blues’ form should stand them in good stead at the end of it all. 

“We expected Wahingdoh to lose games. They are not a consistent side. As for Bagan, they have got it all to lose. Whether they can remain consistent, we need to wait and see. In my opinion we are the best side in the League. Our form across the League, the Federation Cup and the AFC competitions is incredible. Whether it’s enough, we need to wait and see,” said Westwood.


The game kicks off at 7 pm and will be telecast live on Ten Action. 

Robin strike gives Bengaluru first away win in Asia

Bengaluru FC Media 

Robin Singh fired home a long-range winner a little short of fifteen minutes from time to give Bengaluru FC a 0-1 over Warriors FC at the Jalan Besar Stadium, in Singapore, on Tuesday.

Bengaluru's first away win in Asia came after they endured a frustrating 75 minutes where a combination of fine goalkeeping and lackadaisical finishing meant the overwhelming domination by the visitors would count for nothing. Bengaluru FC now have nine points from 4 games and sitting second on the Group E table, are well on track to make it out of the group stages.

Westwood chose to start Sean Rooney on the bench, handing Beikhokhei Beingaichho a place on the right. But just as Bengaluru were getting more than a toe hold into the game, the gaffer was forced into a substitution after John Johnson struggled with what looked like a tight gluteal muscle. With a packed League schedule ahead, Westwood chose not to risk Johnson, replacing him with Gurtej Singh who made his Asian debut for the club.

Sensing the hosts were content to sit back and defend, Bengaluru wasted little time in chasing the goal that took a while to come. Chhetri had the best chance of the first half when he was denied by Ong from a move he began. Making a quick steal on the left, Chhetri exchanged a quick one-two with Robin Singh that found him one-on-one with Ong who charged the striker to thwart his attempt to finish. It wouldn’t be the only time Ong would deny the Blues’ skipper on the night. Only minutes later, Lyngdoh’s tap in from close was kept away by Ong as Bengaluru went to the drawing board with everything but a goal.

Bengaluru carried their frustrating run into the second half before Robin decided to put the matter to bed. A loose goal kick by Marin Vidosevic was picked up by Lyngdoh who found Robin for a pass. Twenty-five yards away and two touches later, Robin picked Ong’s left before unleashing a strike that got the Blues the points.

In the other Group E game, Maziya S&RC played out a 0-0 draw away at Persipura who lead the group with 10 points. The club from Maldives is third with four points and Warriors, with four defeats from as many games, are out of contention for the knock-out stages. 

Robin gives Bengaluru three vital points

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC came away with a 0-1 win over Salgaocar FC at the Nehru Stadium, in Fatorda, Goa on Saturday to go top of the I-League table. Blues striker Robin Singh scored the only goal of the game with a header in the 79th minute in a game that was bossed by the visitors throughout.

Bengaluru Coach Ashley Westwood handed starts to returning India internationals Sunil Chhetri, Keegan Pereira, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Singh as Bengaluru started on the front foot, stitching together meaningful passes and attacking the Salgaocar box from both flanks.

The visitors’ first real chance of the game fell to skipper Chhetri who, after collecting Singh’s lay off, managed to lift the ball past his marker but only to shoot inches wide of an onrushing Salgaocar ’keeper Subrata Paul’s far post.

The Blues’ finishing was found wanting for most parts of the first half as more shots from Lyngdoh and striker Sean Rooney failed to trouble Paul. The Salgaocar custodian’s stubborn stint between the posts saw crosses from Pereira and right-back Rino Anto safely pouched or punched away on numerous occasions throughout.

Replacing Thoi Singh with Beikhokhei Beingaiccho, Westwood’s men started the second half with renewed vigour. Chhetri’s attempt to break the deadlock after being put through by Singh was once again thwarted by Paul.

Heading towards the closing stages, Bengaluru’s persistence finally paid off as an expert cross was met with a header from the most acute of angles. Anto’s floater into the box seemed to have been overcooked but for Robin, whose arrival at the far post came with a thumping header sending the ball past a hapless Paul.

However, the celebrations were brief as the home side came back with an immediate response to attack on the counter and win what seemed a controversial penalty. Salgaocar skipper Rocus Lamare’s run into the Bengaluru box was met by Blues’ substitute defender Lalchhuanmawia, who was harshly adjudged to have brought the midfielder down.

Bengaluru ’keeper Lalthuammawia Ralte carried forward his man-of-the-match performance from the AFC Cup game against Warriors FC earlier in the week, diving to his right and saving Gilbert Oliveira’s spot-kick to protect the Blues’ slender advantage.

Salgaocar’s night went from bad to worse as defender Gurjinder Kumar received his second yellow and marching orders for a rash tackle on Beingaiccho with minutes left to play.

Bengaluru next face Sporting Clube de Goa at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on the 31st of March.

Bengaluru set up for battle against Salgaocar

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC resume their I-League commitments with a trip to Goa where they take on Salgaocar at the Nehru Stadium, on Saturday. 

The game marks the halfway stage in the League for Bengaluru who know a win would give them breathing space on a table that houses a stuffy top-half.

Ashley Westwood will be buoyed by the return of skipper Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, and Keegan Pereira – all of who missed the Blues’ last two games owing to national duty. “It’s good to   have the lads back. If you’re missing as many as four players, it is always going to be a loss. But I’d like to give credit to the rest of the players who turned up with a good performance on Tuesday. That said, we are happy as a club to have contributed to the national team who came away with a good result. The fact that we had four players on the India team means we are doing something right,” said Westwood.

But while the reinforcements give the squad the depth it needs, Westwood says places in the starting XI will have to be fought for. “Our bench looks a little stronger but the competition for places is still fierce. There’s a minimum of 3 games in the AFC Cup and things in the League have started nearing the more serious end.”

In Salgaocar, Bengaluru have opponents who Westwood says they are familiar with. “As far as I can recall, Salgaocar is the side we have played the most over last season and now. We’ve played them twice in the League last season and this year, we’ve played them in a pre-season friendly, the Durand Cup and the Federation Cup. It’s a side we know well and one that we respect a lot. They have a good coach and are always there and about the clubs who have achieved things.”

The Derrick Pereira-coached team are sitting eighth on the table with 11 points and had to dig deep to come away with a 2-1 win over Shillong Lajong after playing most of the game with a man short. Meanwhile, three points would take Bengaluru FC to the top of the table, ahead of Pune FC and Mohun Bagan who have games on Sunday. 

Bengaluru FC take on tough Sporting Clube Goa

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC begin a slew of vital away games over the next two weeks with a trip to Goa where they take on bottom-placed Sporting Clube de Goa at the Fatorda Stadium, on Saturday. The Blues, who travel to play Mumbai FC (March 3) and Indonesian side Persipura Jayapura (March 10), will be keen to start the challenging schedule on the right note against a side that's yet to register a win in the League.

Ashley Westwood’s team put aside the disappointment of a 1-4 League defeat at Mohun Bagan to give Bengaluru their first win in Asian football – a 2-1 result over Maldivian side Maziya S&RC at the Kanteerava Stadium, on Tuesday. Shankar Sampingiraj scored a dramatic injury-time winner after Sunil Chhetri scored his second goal in as many games in a victory that Bengaluru will look to use as a springboard.

Though Bengaluru enjoy a 3-0 record over Sporting across competitions, the Blues will be wary of the Goa club who will throw all they have in pursuit of their first win in the League this season. “Sporting Clube are a good side and capable of producing good performances as we saw in the 1-1 draw they had against Pune. Despite being a goal down, they clawed back into the game and for the last half hour, looked like the team that deserved the win. They have good foreigners among their ranks and though their position on the table isn’t the best, we know we will have to churn out a good performance to get something out of this game,” said Westwood on the eve of the game.

The Fatorda has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues who lifted the I-League and Federation Cup titles with wins at the Stadium and are yet to lose a game here.  In fact, the last time the two teams met was at the same venue in the semifinal of the Federation Cup where Bengaluru came away with a 3-0 result.

On the injury front, Bengaluru seem to be without much worry. Sean Rooney, who missed a couple of games with a sore groin, made an appearance as a substitute in the AFC Cup win that also saw the return of Lalchhuanmawia and Rino Anto.  A call on midfielder Joshua Walker, who limped out of the same game with a thigh strain, will be taken by Westwood on Saturday morning. 

File Pic

Shankar's timely header ends late drama as Bengaluru start AFC Cup campaign with a win

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC scripted a historic and drama-filled first win in Asian competition when Shankar Sampingiraj headed home in 93rd minute to give the Blues a 2-1 win over Maldivian side Maziya S&RC in a Group E opener of the AFC Cup at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday. 

Having bossed all of the game, Bengaluru looked like cruising to three points after a 67th-minute header by Sunil Chhetri gave the Blues a lead they fully deserved. But a John Johnson handball in the box three minutes from time saw the visitors equalise when Mohamed Umair scored from the spot. 

However, falling back on the resilience that has seen them through many tough situations, Bengaluru got their winner when Shankar nodded home Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s freekick to send the BFC faithful into raptures. 

Bengaluru suffered an early set-back when less than twenty minutes into the game, Westwood had to pull Joshua Walker off after the midfielder was struggling with what seemed like a strained thigh. The forced substitution almost turned out to be an ace when Siam Hanghal’s rasping strike from 25-yards out, took the fingertips of Maziya goalkeeper Imran before crashing the crossbar and going out. 

Walker’s absence didn’t seem to deter the Blues who were all over Maziya in a fantastic first half show that had everything but a goal. Shankar, who started in midfield for a rested Thoi Singh, had a header tipped over before Robin Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh had chances in quick succession. 

Bengaluru refused to take their foot off the pedal, coming all guns blazing at Maziya as soon as the second half resumed. Chhetri came agonizingly close twice inside ten minutes. Being perfectly picked by a Rino Anto cross in the 48th minute, Chhetri glanced a header that was headed home before Imran pulled off a brilliant save to deny the skipper. However, the Anto-Chhetri combination was destined a goal on the night and it came from a header. Meeting Anto’s perfect cross from the right, Chhetri thumped home a header that beat Imran all ends up. 

Bengaluru’s next Cup game is an away tie to Indonesia where they play Persipura Jayapura on March 10. 

Bengaluru carry on their momentum, crush Lajong

10-men down Bengaluru FC showed no sign of any protective-approach and they trounced Shillong Lajong FC 2-0 at the Kanteerava Stadium.

BFC looked sharp on the pitch today, midfield performed smoothly, and set balls up for Robin.

Robin Singh came close to goal scoring in the very first minute, he then forced a corner. In a counter from Shillong, Durga Boro set one for Cornell Glenn, which the later shot wide.

Past few minutes, a goal-bound melee from Beikhokhei’s floater which Robin Singh failed to convert. From then on they raided opposition’s defense at regular intervals. 

Local boy Shankar got a memorable start in the Hero I-League, his precision center from the right flank helped Robin Singh to score his first home goal of the season.

Last five minutes of the first half proved taxing for the Steelmen. Central defender Curtis Osano was shown the red card after committing a serious challenge on Cornell Glenn. That was by another drama when BFC keeper Ralte failed to collect the ball cleanly, Seimilen Doungel failed to latch on to the opportunity. That could have given the much-needed equalizer for the visitors. 

Robin got another chance in the second minute post lemon break, a sloppy work in defense from Nim Dorjee gave the tall striker to score his double, which he couldn’t convert. 

Playing with 10 men, BFC gaffer sacrificed a midfielder for a central defender. However, that did not refrain from taking industrious attempts. Perhaps that resulted in the second goal when Thoi Singh scored one from Eugenson Lyngdoh’s perfect cross.  

The visitors left listless in the second half. 

Thoi Singh was awarded the Man of the Match.

Football teams get go ahead for Incheon Asian Games; Shankar and Amoolya makes to their respective teams

AIFF Media  

Asian Games bound India Men’s and Women’s Football contingents, presently in Shanghai, China on Tuesday (September 9) got the all-important go ahead from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs who cleared the Team at no cost to All India Football Federation. 

Meanwhile, the final list of Players who would be boarding the flight to Incheon have also been named by both Men’s and Women’s coaches Wim Koevermans and Tarun Roy respectively. 

Dempo’s Alwyn George, Pune FC duo Salam Ranjan Singh and Dhanpal Ganesh; and Sporting Clube De Goa’s Rowlin Borges failed to make the cut for the Asian Games for the U-23 India Men’s side. 

On the other hand, Supriya Routray, Indumathi, Jyoti Ann Burrett and Rinaroy Devi  won’t be travelling to Incheon along with the Indian Women’s squad.
Clubbed with Group A alongside hosts South Korea, Maldives and Thailand, the Indian Women play their first Group League match against Maldives on September 14. The other matches are against South Korea on September 17 and Thailand on September 19. 

The U-23 Men on the other hand have taken the might of last Games’ silver medalists United Arab Emirates in their first Group League match on September 15 while their last match in the Group is against Jordan on September 22. 


Men’s Squad 

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Narayan Das.
Midfielders: Pronoy Halder, Clifton Dias, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Milan Singh.
Forwards: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Mandar Rao Desai. 

Women’s Squad

Goalkeepers: Okram Roshni Devi, Aditi Chauhan, Pushpa Tirkey
Defenders: Ashem Romi Devi, Ashalata Devi, Tuli Goon, Radharani Devi, Suprava Samal, Upamati Devi
Midfielders: Premi Devi, Amoolya Kamal, Mandakini Devi, Oinam Bembem Devi, Kamala Devi.
Forwards: Sasmita Malik, Prameshwori Devi, Dangmei Grace, Bala Devi 

[PICS] Bengaluru FC home kit 2014-15

Koevermans looking for a win

AIFF Media 

A couple of days in between and the two teams gear up once again for the second big clash. After all its India versus Pakistan and it doesn't happen every alternate day. 

Pakistan Coach Muhammad Shamlan Al-Mubarak, in the official post-match interaction after the first match had categorically mentioned that “Pakistan are confident of beating India.” 

“After the first match we have more idea about India and how they play. We feel we can script a positive result in the second match,” he maintained.
Keen to curve out a result in their favor, Pakistan had two Training Sessions in the day, one hour each both in the morning and the afternoon, while the Indian Team had an hour-long Session in the afternoon. 

“We intend to improve in our style of play in the next game,” Koevermans further informed. “The manner in which we react and behave when we have the ball and when we don’t have the ball will be significant and help us develop for the future.” 

“There has been a huge improvement in our game from day one when we all assembled in Bangalore. We had to bring the Team tactically to one platform. But at the same, there are a few things which we can do better from our first match against Koevermans Pakistan. We need to make sure that we do it better,” he opined. 

Referring to a question as to whether India are over dependent on Sunil Chhetri, uttered: “There’s no denying he scores but at the same time there are others who gets into scoring opportunities. We are paying special attention to the aspect of finishing. That’s an area of improvement for sure. Games are the test which helps us define ourselves,” he concluded. 

 “I came to know later that there were six Players who made their debut for India in the last match. It’s such a proud moment for them. I didn’t realize it but that’s never the way I select my Team. If the six played, they played because they deserved it. I’m so happy for the boys,” tells Koevermans. “It’s a match they will never forget. In fact, no Player ever forgets his first International Match. And they played in such a wonderful atmosphere. It was a full Stadium, live on National Television and it was against Pakistan,” he adds. 

“We look forward to having a full House on the morrow. And we are looking for a win.” 

Ticket sales have been brisk especially with India’s victory in the first-match. The response online has also been very positive. 

“I expect Pakistan to be competitive once again. And hopefully we get to play with 11 men for the full 90 minutes. We aim to carry on the momentum and expect for a good match,” he states. 

“This will be our 7th Match in preparation to the Incheon Asian Games. In Czech Republic we played against strong Senior Club sides and this time we are playing an U-23 National side who are also preparing for the Asian Games. We hope for it to turn out good,” he pronounces. 

For the record, Striker Robin Singh who was given marching orders for receiving his second Yellow Card in the previous match will be missing the match.

Chhetri, Robin, Siam, and Shankar leave for Czech Republic with Indian squad

AIFF Media

A 25-member Indian squad left for Czech Republic for a 19-day exposure tour for preparation for the forthcoming Incheon Asian Games. The Team would be back on August 8, 2014. 

Four Players from the original 29-member squad – Deepak Devrani, Shouvik Ghosh, Sanjay Balmuchu, and Romeo Fernandes who were practicing under National Coach Wim Koevermans have been released from the camp and didn’t travel to Czech Republic.

The Indian squad will play three matches during the period against three different Clubs -- Senco Doubravka, FK Most and TJ Domazlice. The Team will be based in Pilsen. 

Furthermore, the squad will also be travelling to China for another exposure Tour from August 25-September 8 where they would be playing two matches against Shanghai FC and JiangSu. 

Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, and Francis Fernandes are the three Senior Players who are part of the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 players.

The 25-member squad presently which travelled to Czech Republic is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.
DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Singh, Narayan Das
MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh
FORWARDS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Desai  

Shankar and Siam drafted in 30-member Asian Games camp, camp in Bangalore from July 1

AIFF Media 

National Coach Wim Koevermans has named his squad of 30 for the training Camp for the Incehon Asian Games. The Camp kicks-off in Bangalore from July 1 -20, 2014. 

Under-19 international and Bengaluru FC (BFC) player Shankar has been included in the squad. After playing a successful season with BFC, Siam Hangal too finds himself in the 30-member squad. 

Captain Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, and Francis Fernandes are the three senior players who have been named in the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 Players.

All India Football Federation will also provide an exposure tour for the Team after the Camp in Bangalore is over.

Squad 

GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.

DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Deepak Devrani, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Sanjay Balmuchu, Salam Singh, Narayan Das, Shouvik Ghosh.

MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh.

FORWARDS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Romeo Fernandez, Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Dessai.

[PICS] Open-top bus parade for the newly crowned I-League champs

Bengaluru FC launches Soccer Schools

Bengaluru FC announced the launch of the Bengaluru FC Soccer Schools - the club’s newest venture aimed at promoting and supporting football at the grassroots level. In a press conference addressed by Bengaluru FC COO Mustafa Ghouse, head coach Ashley Westwood, head of youth development Richard Hood, and striker Robin Singh, the club laid out the plans for the Soccer Schools, the first of which kicks off on April 20 at Play Mania, Bellandur, off outer ring road. 

Designed by the coaching staff at the club, the Soccer Schools will, for now, be open to children in the under-7, 9, and 11 age categories. Speaking at the launch, Ghouse said, “Announcing the BFC Soccer Schools is a very special moment for everyone at the club. This is the first step and we are certain about the Soccer Schools expanding to more parts of the city and eventually, the country.” 

While the under-7s will have two batches, two times a week, the under-9s and under-11s will have three sessions a week. There will also be designated days for practice games. Talented youngsters coming out of the Schools even stand the chance to get a look in to the club’s elite academy. 

“I’ve come through an academy myself and completely understand the importance of one if you are to develop as a player. It’s wonderful to be part of a club that is promoting the grassroots at the right age and the future is surely bright for the children who are part of the program,” said Singh who is a product of the Tata Football Academy. 

[PICs] Bengaluru FC vs United Sports - Away

Courtesy: Bengaluru FC and United Sports Media

Bengaluru FC striker duo Chhetri and Robin in India squad, Vineeth on standby list

AIFF Media

National Coach Wim Koevermans has announced his squad of 20 Players for India’s International Friendly against Bangladesh slated to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on March 5, 2014. The kick-off is at 6pm.

While Pune FC Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh and Churchill Brothers Striker Balwant Singh got their maiden call-ups to the National Camp, Goalkeeper Subrata Paul, Mumbai FC defender Sandesh Jhingan and Alwyn George made a comeback to the Squad.

The Squad assembles in Goa on March 1 while due to Airtel I-League commitments, Amrinder Singh, Gurjinder Kumar, Sandesh Jhingan, Arnab Mondal, Mehtab Hossain, Lalrindika Ralte and Aibhorlang Khongjee would be joining the pack on March 2.    

The 20-member squad list is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC), Amrinder Singh (Pune FC), Subrata Paul (FC Vestsjaelland).

DEFENDERS: Denzil Franco (Churchill Brothers), Arnab Mondal (East Bengal), Aibhorlang Khongjee (Mohun Bagan), Sandesh Jhingan (Mumbai FC), Gurjinder Kumar (Pune FC), Narayan Das (Dempo SC).

MIDFIELDERS: Mehtab Hossain, Lalrindika Ralte (both East Bengal), Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Alwyn George, Clifford Miranda (both Dempo SC), Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Victorino Fernandes (Sporting Clube de Goa).

FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh (both Bengaluru FC), Balwant Singh (Churchill Brothers).

LIST OF STANDBYES:

Subhashish Roychowdhury (Dempo SC), Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal); Raju Gaikwad (East Bengal), Nicolau Colaco (Salgaocar SC), Mohan Raj (Sporting Clube de Goa); Pronay Halder (Dempo SC), Denson Devadas (Mohun Bagan), Md. Rafique, Asif K (both United SC); CK Vineeth (Bengaluru FC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Dempo SC), Thongkhosiem Haokip, Gabriel Fernandes (both Pune FC).  

Bengaluru FC Share Point With Mumbai FC

Bengaluru FC Media

Robin Singh finished off some brilliant work by Beikhokhei Beingaichho, placing his header home as Bengaluru FC drew 1-1 with Mumbai FC at the Bangalore Football Stadium, in Bangalore, on Sunday. The equalizer came after Mumbai FC defender Ebi Sukore gave the visiting team a 47^th minute lead that they would soon lose. 

While the result still leaves Bengaluru FC in pole position on the table with a three-point lead over Sporting Clube de Goa, Ashley Westwood believed is boys had the chances to stretch the gap to five. 

With skipper Sunil Chhetri missing the fixture owing to a suspension, Singh started in the centre while Sean Rooney played on the right. Westwood handed the captain’s armband to young right-back Rino Anto who has been impressive all season. Bengaluru made all the right noises to start with but weren’t capitalizing on all the possession they had. Mumbai FC, on the other hand, were content soaking in the attacks. 

Singh smashed the bar from the right in the very second minute, making a statement of intent. But it was in the 33^rd minute that the striker should have pulled the dagger only for his touch to let him down. Beingaichho squeezed in on the right and found Singh who had to simply tap home from close. But Singh’s touch let him down as the ball bobbed off his feet and out of danger.

While it was all Bengaluru in the first half, it was Mumbai FC who shot to a lead two minutes into the second. Picked out from the left, Sukore turned Curtis Osano the wrong way before calmly tapping home, much to the home support’s shock. 

But Bengaluru refused to let the goal negate all the hard work they had been putting in and reaped a reward in the 55^th minute. Set free down the right, Beingaichho dazzled with some sublime skill that saw him take out two Mumbai FC defenders before sending in an inch-perfect cross that Singh nodded in to spark the crowd to life. 

Going for the kill, Westwood pulled off a slightly-injured Beingaichho as CK Vineeth came on for his Bengaluru debut. Minutes later, striker Karan Sawhney came on for Siam Hanghal as Bengaluru pressed for a winner. However, Mumbai staved off attack after attack as the game ended with players from both sides exchanging words. Bengaluru FC have 31 points from 16 games while Mumbai FC, on 10^th place, have 18 from 16 games.  

Bengaluru FC triumph over Salgaonkar in the battle of penalties

AIFF Media 

The game, easily termed as the battle of ‘penalties’ and finally Bengaluru FC pulled off a thrilling 2-1 win over Salgaocar at Bangalore Football Stadium today. All three goals came from penalty and interestingly for first two the goals, the foul was committed from an identical position.

With Today’s win, the hosts continue to be at the top spot of the points table. Bengaluru FC now have 30 points from 15 matches, whereas Salgaocar are on 18 points from 14 encounters. 

Just when it looked that the match was heading for a 1-1 draw, Bengaluru FC were awarded a penalty in the injury time of the match, when Robin Singh was brought down inside the box. Robin made no mistake from the spot as he put the ball into the net in the injury time to help his team bag full three points from the match. 

Earlier, Benagluru FC took the lead in the 29th minute, after the hosts were awarded with a penalty when Nicolao Colaco handled the ball inside the box while trying to stop a Keegan Pereira cross. Skipper Sunil Chhetri put the ball past a diving Karanjit Singh, who had anticipated rightly, but Chhetri’s shot was too good for him. 

The visitors made a comeback in the 84th minute in identical fashion. Clifton Dias’ cross was handled by Siam Hangal inside the box as the referee pointed towards the spot. Gilbert Oliveira converted the penalty to bring back the visitors into the match, but at the end it wasn’t good enough for Salgaocar to even snatch one point from the match. 

Bengaluru FC, who had lost their last home encounter against East Bengal Club, last Sunday started the match on a cautious note.  It was the visitors who made early inroads into the Bengaluru half, but theur strikers failed to convert the moves into goals. 

Despite being a goal down, Salgaocar had a great opportunity in the injury time of the first half, when Darryl Duffy made a solo move, but he failed to control the ball once inside the box. 

The second half turned out to be a more physical battle between the two teams. The final ten minutes generated the maximum action as both the teams went all out for the kill, but finally it was the hosts who managed to pull off a fantastic win and ensure they ended 2013 as the top team of the Airtel I-League. 

Benagluru’s Thoi Singh was awarded the man of the match award.

Final 20-member squad for 2013 SAFF Championship named

Coach Wim Koevermans named his squad of 20 for the forthcoming SAFF Championship, team leaves for Kathmandu on Tuesday, August 27. 
India is grouped in Group A along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Group B consists of Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. 
The Bangalore connection will be in the form of Bengaluru FC's striker duo Sunil Chettri and Robin Singh. 

Squad

Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Karanjit Singh, Sandip Nandy

Defenders: Nirmal Chettri, Arnab Mondal, Gouramangi Singh, Raju Gaikwad, Sandesh Jhingan, Mohanraj Nalappan

Midfielders: Syed Rahim Nabi, Mehtab Hossain, Arata Izumi, Lenny Rodriguez, Alwyn George, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Francis Fernandes

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Dawson Fernandes, Jeje Lalpekhlua


Fixture

• September 1, 2013, 6:30 pm: India Vs Pakistan
• September 3, 2013, 3:30 pm: India Vs Bangladesh
• September 5, 2013, 3:30 pm: India Vs Nepal

Semifinals

• September 8, 2013, 6:30 pm: 
• September 9, 2013, 6:30 pm: 

Final

• September 11, 2013, 6:30 pm: