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Chhetri header wins Bengaluru a captivating contest against Kerala

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Bengaluru, Karnataka: Bengaluru FC edged out Kerala Blasters FC 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday to register their second victory of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20. Blues’ captain Sunil Chhetri scored the only goal of the match in the second-half and helped his team register their fourth triumph over their bitter Southern rivals in five meetings. For Kerala, it was another unsuccessful attempt at finding their first-ever Hero ISL victory against Bengaluru.

Kerala, despite being away to the home of the reigning champions, took the initiative and made a bright start. The Blues responded soon enough as both sides traded phases of dangerous possession early on. The biggest chance in the opening 15 minutes fell Kerala’s way. A nice bit of interplay between Bartholomew Ogbeche and Messi Bouli, opened up space for the latter inside the box. The Cameroonian forward tried to fizz in a dangerous cross for Ogbeche. The Kerala skipper tried to meet it at full stretch but was centimeters short of getting the telling touch on the ball.

Approaching the 30-minute mark, Bengaluru managed to get the ball in the Kerala net after Raphael Augusto headed in an inch-perfect Udanta Singh cross. But the goal was eventually disallowed since the officials deemed Udanta had run it out of play before putting it in the box.

Shortly after, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s sloppy clearance almost opened up another opportunity for Ogbeche but the Bengaluru custodian made amends by coming out and hoofing the ball away just in time. In the 36th minute, the home team had a golden opportunity to take the lead as Augusto cut one back for Albert Serran, who was lingering inside the Kerala box following a corner. It only needed a proper nod to direct the cross into the Kerala net, but the ball was just behind Serran and the Spaniard ended up heading it over, much to the anguish of the home fans.

Six minutes later, it was the away fans’ turn to feel the anguish as Bouli stayed on side from a TP Rehenesh goal kick and was free on goal. With just Gurpreet to beat the striker ended up skying his effort into the South Stand. The first 45 minutes, perhaps miraculously, ended goalless.

The second-half had the same intensity as the first-half as the two sides traded blows. As the match progressed, however, Bengaluru slowly grew into the contest and kept knocking at the door. The Kerala defence was eventually unlocked in the 55th minute from a set piece. Dimas Delgado’s floated corner found Sunil Chhetri inside the Kerala box and the 35-year-old made no mistakes as he buried his diving header into the goal to score the match’s first and his fourth Hero ISL goal against Kerala.

The home team could have gone two up minutes later but Dimas’ shot was valiantly blocked off by Raju Gaikwad. With the control of the match seemingly slipping away, Eelco Schattorie introduced Sahal Abdul Samad from the bench following the hour-mark in an attempt to inject some more creativity in midfield. The away side came close to an equaliser in the 69th minute after Bouli picked Serran’s pocket on the wing and found Rahul KP inside the Bengaluru box. The youngster did well to make space for a shot in the crowded box but dragged it wide.

Bengaluru, meanwhile, kept probing for the second goal and it took Rehenesh’s toes to deny Augusto in the 74th minute. Kerala did manage to get the ball in Bengaluru’s goal in added time, as Ogbeche tapped in Rahul KP’s cross, but the goal was disallowed as the latter was ruled offside.

With the win, Bengaluru moved to nine points – level with table toppers ATK, who will be in action on Sunday.

(ISL Media)

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World Cup Qualifiers

India suffer their second defeat of the campaign, go down 0-1 to Oman

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Muscat, Oman: India went down to Oman by a solitary goal in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifiers at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex Stadium in Muscat on Tuesday (November 19, 2019). Muhsen Al Ghassani scored in the 33rd minute for the home team as India now stand at three points from the five games.

It was the hosts who had the upper hand in the initial exchanges of the first half. Oman could have taken the lead in the seventh minute but Muhsen Al Ghassani’s spot-kick was off-target after he was brought down in the penalty area by Rahul Bheke.

The first chance for the Indians came in the 20th minute after Udanta Singh earned a free-kick. Brandon Fernandes curled in the ball towards the far post and found Chhetri, whose cross was intercepted by Oman custodian Ali Al Habsi.

Three minutes later, Nishu Kumar – making his first appearance under head coach Igor Stimac – surged into the Omani penalty box after a one-two with Udanta down the right flank but his dangerous-looking centre was cleared away.

Adil Khan and Pronay Halder went into the referee’s book in the 24th and 25th minutes respectively, with the latter being replaced by Vinit Rai a few minutes later.

Three minutes after the half-hour mark, Oman took the lead through Al Ghassani. Mohsin Al Khaldi played in a through-ball behind the Indian defence and the forward put into the Indian net with a first-time finish.

In the 37th minute, Anas Edathodika came on in place of Adil Khan in the heart of the Indian defence and came up with a couple of timely clearances straight upon his arrival.

Five minutes before half-time, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu produced a sharp save at his near post from a corner and on the break, Udanta caused serious problems for the opposition defence with his pace. Charging down the left, he crossed the ball for Manvir — whose layoff found Farukh Choudhary in the box. However, he was tackled on time before he could pull the trigger.

Changing over, the Blue Tigers came out with more intent, creating multiple crossing opportunities from the flanks.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was called into action in the 64th minute, denying Al Khaldi with a fine save to thwart a free-kick from 25 yards out, which was on target, and palm it off for a corner. He also kept his side in the game with a brilliant save from close range, denying Ali Al Busaidi with a one-handed stop in the 82nd minute.

Towards the end, India had a couple of close moments when Ashique Kuruniyan charged down the left and caused problems for the home defence. However, the equalizer remained elusive.

India (Starting XI): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke (Sarthak Golui 67′), Adil Khan (Anas Edathodika 37′), Ashique Kuruniyan, Pronay Halder (Vinit Rai 27′), Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri (C), Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh

(AIFF Media)

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Indian Super League

First casualty of the season? John Gregory’s press conference in full

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John Gregory speaking at the press conference post Chennaiyin’s 0-3 defeat at Bengaluru FC

Now obviously I can only play five foreigners and we’ve started Dragos in three previous games. I just needed to change one or two things. Young Rahim has been has been outstanding on the training ground since the start the season, and he deserved to have his chance. With Chhangte again, a bit like Thapa, they’re finding it a bit difficult because he had three games in seven days recently. And both him and Thapa are quite exhausted. I’ve mentioned it once or twice before the fact that played almost non-stop for the last two years for club and country. And just sometimes they need to have a break and I thought this was an ideal opportunity just to maybe keep him on the bench for an hour. And then I was obviously hoping that when he comes on, that we might be in a situation where Chhangte could go and win us the game you know, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

Well, I think we finished strong to be fair. Today, we didn’t start strong and falling behind to two goals in the manner in which we did was extremely frustrating for a coach. You don’t expect us to concede the second goal in particular, (it) was crucial. From our own situation, we gave the ball away in our half the pitch and suddenly, Sunil is left clear, with just the goalkeeper to beat and he took his opportunity very well. So it’s frustrating from my point of view, really very frustrated. We didn’t start well at all. And to be fair, (in) the last two games, we started very well, but we didn’t start well at all (today), and we were getting overrun in the first half. And certainly, BFC were causing us a lot of problems. We didn’t deal with it very well. We were second to every ball on the pitch. BFC picked up any loose balls, and they kept the ball very well. And at 2-0, they basically were on cruise control. We had a lot of the possession in the second half. We squandered a couple of opportunities that we had maybe to go back in the game, and obviously the third goal was a killer blow for us and that sealed the victory for them.

It’s probably about time I sat down with the owner and have a conversation with her. She’s been she’s been very supportive since September 2017. But it’s probably time that I sat down with her and had a deeper conversation than normal. We can’t continue like this to be honest. We can’t. We consider ourselves to be a very, very good club. And we’re hurting, the whole club’s hurting at the moment, and none more so than the myself. I’ve carried this club on my shoulders for the last, this is now my third year, and it’s not easy. I have never worked so hard in my life as much as I’ve done in the last two and a half years. And it’s a heavy load and it might be time for somebody else to take over. So I should have a long chat with Mrs. Dani in the next 24 hours. Because, in my opinion, the club always comes first. And we have to do what’s best for the club. And quite frankly, right now, this is the worst I’ve felt in two and a half years so I don’t particularly enjoy these moments.

So we should see. We’ve got a break now for a couple of weeks. It will give everybody time to reflect and maybe make some improvements for the remainder of season. There is another 14 games to play and there’s still a lot to play for. There’s still a lot of points at stake. But in the current situation, we don’t look as if we’re likely to pick up many points in the next few games. There’s something really needs to be done. So I would imagine that we will get put our heads together and certainly make some improvements.

Just as what I said to the previous gentleman, that maybe it’s time for me to sit and talk with Vita (Dani), maybe make some changes off the field. Because the club is really important. It’s an important part of my life and has been for the last couple of years. It hurts me to see the situation that my team is in. That my club is in. I’m an adopted Chennai boy. I have been for the last couple of years and I’m hurting like hell, more than you would ever believe. And I take it all very personal. So I don’t want to see my team in this situation at the moment. And as I said, we might need to do something about it to change things. So we should say. Okay, sorry, it’s a bit bland, but you get the drift. Okay. Thanks, guys.

From the Post Match Press Conference

(Image: ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

Rampant Bengaluru hammer sorry Chennaiyin

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Bengaluru, Karnataka: Defending champions Bengaluru FC earned their first win this season after a terrific 3-0 result over arch-rivals Chennaiyin FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.

Australian midfielder Erik Paartalu got the ball rolling for Bengaluru with the opening goal (14’) before captain Sunil Chhetri made it 2-0 with a sensational strike (25’). Thongkhosiem Haokip rounded off a fine victory with a late goal (84’).

The win lifts Bengaluru to the fifth position in the Hero Indian Super League while Chennaiyin, who are yet to score a goal after four games, are rock bottom.

Bengaluru FC asserted their dominance right from the start, creating several chances in the opening 10 minutes. Chennaiyin custodian Vishal Kaith was called into action early in the fifth minute when former Chennaiyin man Raphael Augusto did brilliantly to get to the byline and find Juanan with a cutback. The Spaniard’s first-time shot was blocked by Kaith with his legs.

Augusto continued to torment his former team and should have scored five minutes later when Udanta Singh’s cross found his way to him, but he could not sort his feet out in time.

Kaith then had to pull off another save to prevent Udanta from scoring after being sent through on goal by Chhetri.

Bengaluru’s domination paid off in the 14th minute when Erik Paartalu, returning from injury, rose highest inside the box to head home a corner from Dimas Delgado.

Even after taking the lead, Bengaluru continued to maintain control of the game as Chennaiyin struggled to cope with their rivals.

Not surprisingly, the second goal came in the 25th minute. It was once again Augusto who proved to be a thorn in Chennaiyin’s side. His excellent lofted ball from inside his half found Chhetri in space down the right. The star forward beat his marker and unleashed a rasping drive from the edge of the box to beat Kaith all ends up and send the home crowd into raptures.

The defending champions continued to assert their supremacy, displaying swagger and confidence as Chennaiyin looked out of sorts.

After the break, Chennaiyin displayed a bit of urgency and John Gregory sent in Lallianzuala Chhangte for Rahim Ali. However, apart from a header from Dhanpal Ganesh which went wide, Chennaiyin could not trouble their rivals much.

Bengaluru continued to cruise through the game, giving their opponents no chance to stage a comeback.

In the 83rd minute, Chennaiyin almost pulled a goal back when Dhanpal Ganesh tried to flick in a corner from Dragos Firtulescu, but his effort bounced back off the post.

Bengaluru, however, punished Chennaiyin almost immediately. A long ball from Paartalu found Haokip who held off Eli Sabia and scored past Kaith to complete a resounding win.

(ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

Roy Krishna powers ATK past Jamshedpur

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Kolkata, West Bengal: Roy Krishna excelled for ATK as they handed Jamshedpur FC their first defeat after a 3-1 result at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday.

After a barren first half amid pouring rain in Kolkata, ATK surged to a 2-0 lead through two penalties, both converted by star striker Roy Krishna (57’, 71’). Though another penalty in the 85th minute saw Sergio Castel pull a goal back for Jamshedpur FC, the hosts sealed their third consecutive victory after Edu Garcia (90+1’) scored a late third.

The win sees ATK surge to the top of the standings with nine points from four games while Jamshedpur remain fourth with seven points on the Hero Indian Super League ladder.

The match got off to a lively start amid wet conditions in Kolkata and it was the away side who had the first real chance. Eight minutes into the game, Piti outfoxed Jayesh Rane on the left wing before finding Farukh Chowdhury with a cross. But the Indian forward’s header clattered back off the crossbar.

The tempo of the match slowed down after the first 10 minutes as Jamshedpur strangled ATK in midfield. But ATK continued to dominate the match with Michael Soosairaj troubling the Jamshedpur defence with some skillful dribbling and runs. However, the final delivery let him and his teammates down.

As a tightly-contested half wound down, David Williams created a couple of chances for ATK. In the 40th minute, he robbed Memo before playing Rane in with a brilliant backheel. But Rane’s shot was saved. Immediately afterward, Williams set Rane up again, but this time the latter’s shot missed the target by inches.

The second half saw ATK continue their dominance on the proceedings with Soosairaj, Krishna and Williams continuing to pose questions for the Jamshedpur defence.

Their efforts were rewarded 10 minutes into the half when Krishna embarked on a strong run through the middle, brushing away a couple of Jamshedpur players with ease. However, he was brought down by Tiri inside the box and the referee promptly pointed to the spot. The Fijian forward duly converted the spotkick, sending Subrata Paul the wrong way.

Krishna continued to be a thorn in Jamshedpur’s side with his strong runs and determined pressing. He won another penalty for ATK in the 70th minute when he received a lobbed ball, rode Tiri’s tackle and entered the box, only for Memo to bring him down. The forward made no mistake from the spot yet again as ATK doubled their lead.

But just as it seemed ATK were cruising towards a victory, Jamshedpur won a penalty. In the 85th minute, Noe Acosta went down under a rough challenge from Anas Edathodika during a corner routine, forcing the referee to award a spotkick. Sergio Castel promptly made it 2-1 to set up a grandstand finish.

ATK capitalised on the space left behind their opponents in injury time. Williams found Krishna on the break with a lovely cross-field pass. The Fijian sent Garcia through on goal with a first-time touch and the Spaniard chipped the ball into the back of the net to seal the victory.

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Indian Super League

Kerala, Odisha settle for a point as injuries take a toll

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Kochi, Kerala: Kerala Blasters FC remained without a win for the third consecutive match following a goalless draw against Odisha FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday.

The Hero Indian Super League contest was marred by injuries to key players from both teams as Jairo Rodriguez, Raphael Messi Bouli and Aridane Santana had to be substituted in the first half. The changes affected the pace of the game that ultimately ended without a winner.

Blasters and Odisha now have four points each from as many games and occupy the fifth and sixth position on the league table.

Kerala, who were already hampered by injuries this season, suffered a major blow in the fourth minute when captain Jairo Rodriguez went down injured. He was replaced by Abdul Hakku.

However, the home side continued to press high up the field to try and take the game to their opponents, but Odisha were well organized at the back.

A cautious period of play early on came to a halt when a head-on collision inside the box following a corner-kick left Aridane Santana and Messi Bouli requiring medical attention. Following a long pause, the game resumed with Mohammed Rafi and Carlos Delgado replacing the injured players.

With both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances, Sahal Abdul Samad took matters into his own hands as he embarked on a stellar solo run after picking up the ball from the right flank. The midfielder outfoxed three defenders before Narayan Das brought him down inside the box, but the referee rejected vociferous appeals for a penalty.

Blasters were the better side in the first half, although by fine margins. Mohammed Rafi’s drilled cross into the box from the right was met by Rahul KP whose audacious volley failed to test goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro.

The teams struggled to raise the tempo and keep hold of the ball after the break as well. Odisha threatened when Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s cross put TP Rehenesh in a spot of bother. The goalkeeper spilled the ball inside the box but Nandhakumar Sekar hit the rebound into the side-netting.

Prasanth Karuthadathkuni had the crowd up on their feet when he cut in from the right flank and pulled the trigger, only to send the speculative effort over the bar.

There were a couple more chances at either end as the game wound down, but a goal remained elusive.

With four minutes left, a Prasanth cross from the left was flicked towards the far post by second-half substitute Bartholomew Ogbeche for Rahul whose firm shot was kept out by Dorronsoro. Daniel Lalhlimpuia, at the other end, spurned a chance as well as both teams settled for a point.

(ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

FC Goa beat Mumbai City in a six-goal thriller

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Mumbai, Maharashtra: FC Goa returned to winning ways and climbed to the top of the Hero Indian Super League table with a 4-2 win against Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Thursday.

The goal-fest began with Lenny Rodrigues giving Goa the lead in the 27th minute. The visitors doubled their lead with a Ferran Corominas (45′) strike just before half-time. The second half saw three goals in the space of ten minutes, with Mumbai City equalizing in quick session through Sarthak Golui (49′), Souvik Chakrabarti (55′) and later Hugo Boumous (59′) putting the visitors back in lead. Carlos Pena (89′) scored another late in the game to rub further salt into Mumbai’s wounds.

Sergio Lobera’s team picked up their second win of the season and are atop with eight points after four rounds. Mumbai are fifth with four points in their kitty.

Mumbai refused to sit back and let Goa pass the ball around in the opening minutes but the hosts, however, failed to test Mohammed Nawaz’s goal during that period. This allowed the visitors to get back into the game and draw first blood.

In the 27th minute, a Brandon Fernandes corner-kick found Lenny with just enough space inside the box to take a touch, turn and place his shot into the bottom left corner of the net to score his first goal for the club.

Mumbai responded well and pressed high up the field. Bipin Singh’s cross from the flank was met by Subhasish Bose who headed it into the path of Diego Carlos. The Brazilian striker hit the side-netting from a dangerous position, leaving the Goan defence relieved.

At the stroke of half-time, Goa carved the Mumbai defence open with a simple yet effective passing move. Boumous fed Seriton Fernandes in behind Bose and the full-back’s cross into the centre was well received by Ferran Corominas who took a touch and found the net to score the Gaurs’ second.

The hosts came out for the restart with renewed vigour and hit back immediately. Mohammed Larbi’s corner-kick from the left found Golui at the far post and the defender, left completely unmarked, nodded a looping header into the net.

Mumbai soon pulled level courtesy of a neat finish by Chakrabarti. Bipin’s cross into the box was initially cleared but the ball fell to Raynier who laid it off for Chakrabarti to execute an excellent strike into the bottom corner.

With the sides level and nothing to separate them, the match opened up. Goa regained the lead when Mourtada Fall rose highest inside the box to a flick a free-kick across goal towards Boumous. The 24-year-old midfielder’s header bulged the net, leaving Amrinder with no chance.

Goa added a fourth to seal the win in the 89th minute. Edu Bedia’s free-kick from the right flank was met by Pena with a smart flick to guide it past the goalkeeper.

(ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

NorthEast edge past Hyderabad to go top

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Hyderabad, Telangana: A late Maximiliano Barreiro penalty proved to be the difference as NorthEast United FC defeated Hyderabad FC to climb to the top of the Hero Indian Super League standings at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday.

The teams had their fair share of moments in a closely-contested tie, but a handball in the 86th minute helped NorthEast United edge past their opponents.

Robert Jarni’s team remain unbeaten and have eight points from four games, while Hyderabad sit ninth on the table with three points.

The hosts were quick to take the game to the opposition with Marcelinho impressing in the final third. Four minutes into the game, the Brazilian forward dribbled into the box, executed a step-over to outfox Mislav Komorski and thumped the ball towards the goal from a tight angle, forcing goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury to make a low save.

Hyderabad were aggressive in their approach throughout the first-half, but their final ball lacked the threat to fetch an opener. At the other end, the visitors struggled to make an impact and failed to test the goalkeeper in the opening 45 minutes.

Marcelinho once again showed his quality when he danced into the box but his cross towards Gani Nigam in the centre was headed clear.

Redeem Tlang got the better of the hosts’ defence soon after the restart with a clever run in behind the defence. Substitute Maximiliano Barreiro lobbed a well-timed ball for the Indian forward whose powerful shot from an acute angle was kept out by Kamaljit Singh at his near post.

The Highlanders, who sought a way back into the game, suffered a blow when Asamoah Gyan had to be forced off the field due to an injury. His replacement Panagiotis Triadis nearly made an instant impact when he flicked Reagan Singh’s low cross from the right flank towards the goal following a clever run, but Kamaljit was up to the task.

Hyderabad found it difficult to maintain the intensity with which they ended the first half. Mohammed Yasir latched on to an excellent pass by Stankovic but sent his effort wide from inside the box. With clear-cut chances drying up, Rohit Kumar tested the keeper from outside the box after the hour-mark but hit it straight at Subhasish Roy.

There was drama at the end as a Jose Leudo strike from the edge of the box hit Shankar Sampingraj’s hand, resulting in a spot-kick for the visitors. Barreiro stepped up and coolly slotted home from the spot, leaving Kamaljit with no chance and sealing an important win for his team.

(ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

Super show minus the goals in Jamshedpur

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Jamshedpur, Jharkhand: Jamshedpur FC dropped points for the first time in the sixth season of the Hero Indian Super League after a goalless yet action-packed stalemate against Bengaluru FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Sunday.

There were chances created at both ends with Bengaluru dominating the proceedings, but both goalkeepers’ excellence came to the fore and the attackers were denied goals.

Despite dropped points, Jamshedpur are top of the standings with seven points from three matches. Bengaluru remain winless this season and are seventh, having registered three consecutive draws.

The defences were tested within minutes from kick-off. Sunil Chhetri’s piledriver, which swerved in the air as it travelled towards the goal, was punched away by goalkeeper Subrata Paul. Seconds later, a counter-attack resulted in Sergio Castel having space and time on the ball at the edge of the box, but the striker’s low strike ricocheted off the woodwork.

Bengaluru attempted to put the hosts under pressure with efforts from Juanan and Raphael Augusto helping them test the Jamshedpur defence. In the 20th minute, a Dimas Delgado corner was flicked across goal by Juanan. The ball fell perfectly for Harmanjot Khabra who was denied by Paul with a spectacular reflex save from close range.

Jamshedpur fashioned a chance to score from a corner-kick before the break. Piti received the short corner from the right at the edge of the box, danced past a crowd of Bengaluru defenders before chipping the ball towards the other side of the post, but the cross was aptly cleared away by an alert Bengaluru defence.

The end-to-end affair continued after the break. Ashique Kuruniyan set Manuel Onwu free but goalkeeper Paul won the one-on-one contest and kept the scoreline intact.

After the moment of brilliance in goal by Paul in the first half, his opposite number Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s reflexes were tested when Farukh Choudhary attempted an audacious bicycle-kick inside the box from a corner but the India No. 1 produced a one-handed save from point-blank range.

Paul was called into action again when Ashique burst forward down the left flank in a quick counter-attack. The Kerala-born winger dribbled into the box and tried to beat the goalkeeper at his near post only for the latter to repel the effort.

In the end, neither team was able to fashion a goal as the match ended in an action-packed stalemate.

(ISL Media)

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Indian Super League

Bengaluru take on in-form Jamshedpur

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Jamshedpur, Jharkhand: Jamshedpur FC will look to make a hat-trick of home wins when they face defending champions Bengaluru FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Sunday.

The Men of Steel have made a fantastic start to the Hero Indian Super League season, having picked up six points in two games against Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC.

Coach Antonio Iriondo’s team has played an attacking brand of football and have taken the game to the opposition. Key to their style of play has been midfielder Piti, who has controlled the proceedings and has shown that he has an eye for defence-splitting passes. Piti’s performance will be key against Bengaluru, who are yet to win in two matches.

“Playing against the defending champions is a big test. They are a very good team. It will be a mistake to see the table and judge Bengaluru. (But) we have been doing well so we have a chance to win. The important thing is to focus on your own team and your own strategies,” said Iriondo.

Jamshedpur striker Sergio Castel, who has taken the ISL by storm with two goals to his name already, will also play a huge role for Iriondo’s team. And it isn’t just their foreign contingent, the Indian players such as Farukh Choudhary, Aniket Jadhav and Mobashir Rahman, have shone so far.

Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, are searching for their first win this season after having picked only a point each in their last two fixtures. They drew against NorthEast United FC in their opening game and were unlucky to settle for a point against FC Goa, who had a late penalty from Ferran Corominas to thank.

“A lot of positive things to take away from the Goa game. I am proud of the way we played. Coro did not get any chance. My defenders read the situation well and stopped them from scoring. We have lost four points but now we have to be mentally stronger than ever. We will come out stronger against Jamshedpur,” said Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat.

Whether Jamshedpur will look to keep the ball and dominate or choose to hit on the counter against Bengaluru is something which Iriondo has to take a call. But going by the way they have played in the two matches so far, they are comfortable doing either.

A mouth-watering clash is on the cards as two solid teams go head-to-head this weekend.

(ISL Media)

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