Bengaluru FC ran out convincing 4-1 winners over DSK Shivajians as goals from Sunil Chhetri, Kim Song Yong, Shankar Samingiraj and Seiminlen Doungel gave the hosts the win while Sampathkumar Kuttymani scored the solitary goal for the visitors.
Ashley Westwood made three changes to his side as he looked to rest a few of his jaded players as they played their second encounter of the three in seven days. Derrick Pereira surprisingly dropped Mohammed Rafi from his squad, opting to start the game with Douhou Pierre and Sampathkumar Kuttymani upfront, with Baljit Sahni on the bench.
Lineups
Bengaluru FC XI: Amrinder(GK); Rino, Johnson, Osano, Keegan; Collins, J. Hangal; Shankar, Beikho, Chhetri(C), Kim.
DSK Shivajians XI: Paul (C)(GK;, Stephen, Bosco, Kuttymani, Singh, Thorat, Adnaik, Molangiri, Gurung, Pierre, Amiri.
First Half
Ashley Westwood had demanded a response from his side after their home loss in their previous game, but from the opening exchanges it seemed as though his words weren’t heeded as both sides looked disjointed. A quiet opening 10 minutes was probably a reflection of the small crowd in the stands, with little chances of note created apart from long range efforts by Israil Gurung and Sampathkumar Kuttymani for the visitors.
The visitor’s defence looked troubled by the high pressing of Kim Song Yong, as the Korean earned a free kick in the 13th minute, minutes after Rohan Adnaik had gone into the book. With the game looking for inspiration from somewhere, up stepped Bengaluru’s Captain Fantastic, Sunil Chhetri. Their talisman calmly jogged up to the ball and curled in an absolute peach of a free-kick with his right foot, with Subrata Paul left stranded as the ball ended up in the top corner.
DSK Shivajians were struggling to exert any influence in the game, as Bengaluru made merry down either wing, with Rino Anto and Keegan Pereira both bombing up and down the pitch with aplomb. The visitors came close, when Douhou nearly picked out an onrushing Shrikant with a cross, but Johnson headed clear. Midway through the half, the hosts had a wonderful chance to counter as Kim and Beikho countered, but the winger’s cross to Chhetri who had made a lung-busting run from deep was picked out by Paul.
Bengaluru doubled their lead in the 33rd minute in the simplest of fashions, as Rino Anto’s early cross from the right wing was headed into the net by a towering header from Kim, thus underlining the host’s dominance. As the half went on, DSK were barely able to threaten, only earning a couple of corners from deflected effort.
With their opposition seemingly dead and buried, BFC gifted the Punekars a route back into the game as, Curtis Osano went on a needless dribble up the pitch in first half injury time. The defender predictably lost the ball, allowing Douhou to be released down the wing. The attacker paused, looked up and sent a measured cross, that Kuttymani acrobatically diverted into the net from close range, which meant the two sides went into the break with the score at 2-1.
Second Half
The hosts were complacent in conceding just before half-time, but showed signs of making up for their mistake immediately on the resumption of the second half as Sunil Chhetri went on a mazy dribbling run down the left wing, and his cutback to Shankar from the byline was perfectly weighted, but the midfielder leaned back and skied his shot over the bar, despite being under no pressure in the box.
The duo combined again in the 53rd minute after Subrata Paul harshly earned a yellow card for time-wasting after Justin Stephen had gone down and was required to be substituted by Melvin Lobo. A cross from Rino Anto was met with a perfectly judged stooping header from Sunil Chettri, but Paul managed to palm the ball away, only for Shankar Sampingiraj to storm in and bundle the ball home.
The midfielder went down with an injury, but when Bengaluru did make a change on the hour mark, it was Kim who was replaced by Seiminlen Doungel. The visitors responded with a change of their own, bringing on Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte on for Rohan Adnaik. Westwood completed the spate of substitutions in the 67th minute, as Sunil Chhetri came off to a standing ovation to be replaced by CK Vineeth.
The hosts had a chance to make the game completely safe moments later, as Beikho volleyed over from close range with his left foot after Doungel had flicked on a cross into his path. With his side spurning chances to make the game safe offensively, Westwood opted for a defensive change bringing on NS Manju for a rare appearance in place of John Johnson, perhaps with an eye on the Mohun Bagan game in a few days, while Derrick Pereira replaced Israil Gurung with Baljit Sahni in the 74th minute.
The two managers got into a minor verbal tiff on the touchlines as CK Vineeth went down in the box, but the referee waved play on. With the crowd right behind him, the Englishman had something to crow about minutes later, as CK Vineeth’s low cross from the right was brilliantly controlled by Doungel and he adroitly finished with a chip over the keeper to score Bengaluru’s fourth in the 80th minute.
The game descended into little more than a training exercise as the visitors knew the game was up, and BFC had the opportunity to worsen the scoreline in the 90th minute, as Beikho stole the ball on the halfway line and released Doungel on the counter, but the youngster’s chip this time around was not as accurate, narrowly drifting wide.
Amidst the happenings on the pitch, the match commissioner had the time to come down and have a few words with Ashley Westwood.
It mattered little as the final whistle blew, confirming Bengaluru FC as dominant winners and getting their title challenge back on track, while DSK Shivajians have to worry that their debut season does not descend into a nightmare.
Other results: Mumbai FC 0-0 Mohun Bagan
