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Bengaluru FC produced a thoroughly professional performance as they registered a 1-0 victory over NorthEast United FC in Friday's ISL encounter. Forward, Miku scored the only goal of the night as the Blues picked up their third win in four games.
The Highlanders' problems in front of goal continued, as they failed to score for the third time in four games and suffered their second defeat. Here are the major talking points from tonight's match.
#1 Rahul Bheke plays out of position and looked decent
For a man who has played a large part of his career as a fullback, it was a surprise to see Rahul Bheke operate as a centre-back tonight for Bengaluru FC. Juanan had to settle for a place on the bench after his mediocre performance against Goa.
In his absence, Bheke partnered up with John Johnson and did an extremely decent job as a central defender. Rahul was attentive, calm and made some important last-ditch tackles inside his own box.
He may not have the imposing presence of a typical centre-back but Bheke did extremely well and never seemed fazed by the challenge. He kept it simple and was never hesitant to chase the opposition forwards. Rahul had the pace and the presence of mind to do so.
#2 NEUFC improve but still rusty up front
Prior to tonight, NortheEast United FC had managed to score in only one of their three games. Questions about their goal scoring prowess were somewhat put to rest against Delhi. But mind you, the Dynamos are have leaked plenty this season. Nine in four games to be precise.
Up against a quality Bengaluru outfit, NEUFC looked far more creative and persistent up front. Unlike previous matches, the home side played through Danilo Lopes and Marcinho tonight.
Both of them looked settled and orchestrated their teams attack. The Highlanders displayed clarity in their approach, something that was missing till today. Every player in white knew his role, more importantly as they displayed ambition. However when it came to that final flourish, NEUFC still looked rusty. A couple of goals against quality sides could make a world of a difference for their confidence.
#3 Bengaluru look to Udanta for inspiration
Bengaluru usually build up their attacks through Edu Garcia. The Spanish midfielder has always been a reliable creative outlet for the Blues. However tonight, the visitors looked to Udanta Singh for inspiration on more than one occasion.
Every time Bengaluru had the ball, they made sure it reached Udanta in the quickest time possible. With pace to burn, Singh was a joy to watch down the right wing. He was effective and troubled Reagan Singh all night long. The usually predictable Udanta switched up his game tonight and played some clever one-two's before marauding forward down the touchline. He played deeper, carried the ball forward with intent tonight and chipped in with an assist for Miku to top it off.
#4 4 goals in 4 matches for Miku
Nicolás Ladislao Fedor Flores AKA Miku could not have started his ISL campaign on a better note. Before he arrived in Bengaluru, the forward was playing his trade for Rayo Vallecano in the top tier of Spanish football.
It's not hard to imagine why the Venezuelan has made an instant impact. Playing in the ISL after having played in La Liga just some months back, Miku is finding it a tad too easy in India.
On more than one occasions, he's made opposition defenders look foolish and tonight was no different. His poise and close control left numerous players for dead on the pitch. Tonight, he scored his easiest of the four. A simple tap in. If he can continue in this fashion, one can only wonder how many he'll end the season with.
#5 Did Sunil Chhetri suffer from wedding blues?
Bengaluru's captain tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Sonam Bhattacharya on Monday. It was a hectic week for Chhetri and one can only imagine how tiring it would have been for him.
Coach Albert Roca spoke about his professionalism but it would have been too much to expect Sunil to deliver after such a busy week. Against NorthEast, the forward looked out of sorts and didn't have his shooting boots on. He was a shadow of his usual self and missed a couple of gilt-edge chances. On another day, he would have buried them.
Understandably, he was replaced around the hour mark. With Bengaluru leading 1-0 and Sunil hardly contributing neither in attack nor defence, he took out his star man and introduced Lenny Rodrigues to add some much needed steel and shore up the defence.
