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 seal final spot with comeback win over Sudeva in Hero Sub Junior League

AIFF Media 

Sudeva FC and Bengaluru FC (BFC) faced off in an absorbing battle that saw great end-to-end action. BFC started off on the front foot as they created some early openings but just six minutes into the match, it was Sudeva who took the lead through midfielder Hiti Seb from the penalty spot. 

The side from Bengaluru upped the ante as a result, coming close to scoring on several occasions. Ishaan Raghunanda had a chance to shoot from the right flank and kept his shot on target, which was tipped past the post by keeper Pankaj Bhandari in the 16th minute.

Four minutes later, they were inches away from equalizing as a chipped effort from the BFC striker was cleared off the line in an acrobatic manner by Sudeva’s Bijay Champia. Soon, Rohit Negi had a chance from a free-kick from the right flank but his curling effort landed on the top of the net.

With the half coming to an end, BFC were not to be denied in the third minute of added time as they scored their first with a goal straight from the training ground. Skipper Gautam Rajesh played a short corner and crossed the ball from the left flank, which was headed in at the far post by defender Vinith Venkatesh.

Scoring just before the break certainly upped BFC’s confidence and they carried it on in the second half – taking the lead in the 40th minute. It was another aerial ball that did the trick as Ishaan’s cross from the right found Chandan Biju unmarked and he headed it home to make it two to BFC.

Sudeva tried hard to find their way past a sturdy BFC defence but could not gain the upper hand. In the 53rd minute, Bengaluru were inches away from their third goal as forward Yodhin Rishyak struck a powerful shot from the top of the box but saw it come back out off the post.

In the end, Bengaluru held on for the win and made their way into the final, that will take place at the Don Bosco Ground in Margao on Wednesday (May 22, 2019).

Bengaluru FC boys qualify for U16 Youth League semifinal

Bengaluru FC Media 

A goal from Rahul Rajan gave Bengaluru FC’s U16s side a 1-0 win over Red Star FC in the U16 Y-League, sending the John Kila-coached to the semifinal of the tournament for the first time. Sudeva FC’s win over DSK Shivajians was not enough as the Blue Colts ended the group stages with 7 points from three games, one more than the Delhi-based side. 

Despite attacking with intent for most of the first half, the young Blues were unable to find the Red Star net as Joseph Vanlalhruaia and Lalrintluanga squandered opportunities to take the lead. 

Starting the second half with renewed vigour, a pass from Vanlalhruaia over the Red Star back-line found Rajan unmarked as he trapped the ball and shot past the ’keeper to give BFC the lead. Red Star’s attempted forays into the Blue Colts’ area were thwarted away. 

Against the run of play, the Blue Colts almost doubled their lead as Chequvara’s attempted shot was parried away after the striker was sent through on goal. Kila praised his young side, who will now face one of Minerva Football Academy or Tata Football Academy in the semifinal. 

“I am proud of this team, their performances and the staff who’ve worked so hard in getting them to the semifinals of this tournament. There’s a lot of room for improvement and I’m sure that with the right direction, there’s more than just good results to come for these boys,” said Kila.

U-16 Youth League - Bengaluru win against Sudeva FC

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC’s U16 Academy side grabbed a late win against a resilient Sudeva FC from Delhi, in the U16 Y-League, at the Nagoa Ground, in Goa, on Thursday. After conceding in the early stages, the persistent Colts scored two in the 66th and the 82nd minute of the game to clinch their first win in the campaign.

Bengaluru suffered a setback in the 15th minute as Bupender Singh, Sudeva’s striker gave the opponents a lead early in the game. Just when the Colts seemed to have settled into the pace of the game, youngster Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, the goal scorer from the previous clash against DSK Shivajians, was stretchered off with an injury. The first half saw many chances for the Bengaluru side but Sudeva took the lead going into the break.

The Colts came out all guns blazing in the second half as they continued to display their dominance in possession and were rewarded with a goal in the 66th minute. A mistimed tackle by Sudeva’s defender allowed Lalrintluanga Chawnglut to score from the spot.

The game remained level until the 82nd minute when a delicate lob by Amay Morajkar saw the ball fall to the feet of Rahul Ranjan who got his name on the score sheet with a neat finish to give the Blue Colts their first win of the campaign.

The Colts next face Redstar Football Academy from Thrissur on Sunday.

Bengaluru FC Begin U16 Youth League with a draw

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC’s U16 academy side were held to a 1-1 draw by DSK Shivajians in an U16 Y-League Group C game in Nagoa, Goa, on Tuesday.

The Pune-based side took the lead in the 12th minute though a goal from . But the Colts were the clear attacking force in the second half, as they piled on attack after attack but failed to capitalise.

Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia saved the Blue Colts their blushes, controlling a long diagonal from Saqlain Khan before slotting past the DSK ’keeper five minutes from time. Kila’s side next take on Sudeva FC at the same venue on Thursday.

Bengaluru FC colts set for U16 Youth League

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC’s U16 Academy side will take on DSK Shivajians in the U16 Y-League, at the Nagoa Stadium in Goa, on Tuesday. The John Kila-coached side will look to build on their strong performance in the Rest-of-India Zone 1, where they topped the group, scoring ten goals and conceding just one.

Grouped with Red Star Academy (Thrissur) and Sudeva Football Club, a Delhi-based outfit apart, from the Pune-based DSK, Kila mentioned that the aim was to put out good performances to match those in the zonal stages.

“These boys have done well in the zonal round and we’ll be looking to build on that. Some of them have played with the U18s, so there is quality in the side and I’m sure it will reflect on the pitch tomorrow as we look for a win,” said Kila.


The game kicks-off at 9 am.