'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABfAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABRAAAgIBBQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAxIEBRETMZIBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYHEQEAAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhEABCFBAwVR/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwChWm7ajU2m++rvzJrdUGPUVx4KAAZA+ESvyg9RPmIkb9nt7D5gZ9CtFrILV7XBOwrIjxUQrj6Z/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bengaluru FC faced heartbreak as they went down to ATK Mohun Bagan in the 2022-23 ISL final on penalties after playing an entertaining 2-2 draw over 120 minutes at the Fatorda Stadium.
The Maroons opened the scoring through Dimitri Petratos early in the game before Sunil Chhetri converted from the spot to make it 1-1 on the stroke of half-time. Roy Krishna scored a point-blank header against his former club and drove the Blues into the lead in the 78th minute.
However, a contentious spot-kick was awarded in the favour of ATK Mohun Bagan. Dimitri Petratos stepped up again and dispatched the penalty in a stunning fashion to level the game seven minutes after falling behind.
The Blues were forced to make an early substitution after Sivasakthi Narayanan suffered a blow to his face and had to be stretched off the field. Roy Krishna conceded a cheap penalty by handling the ball inside the penalty box while trying to deal with Ashique's header. Petratos converted from the spot to drive the Kolkata-based outfit into an early lead.
Chances were at a premium during the first half and it looked like Juan Ferrando's side would take a one-goal cushion into half-time before Subhasish Bose committed a calamitous error by taking down Roy Krishna with zero connection on the ball. Sunil Chhetri scored the second penalty of the game in what proved to be the last kick of the first half.
Dimitri Petratos was provided with an excellent opportunity in the 50th minute but the Australian failed to hit the target after Gurpreet parried Liston's efforts to his path. Manvir tried his luck through the right wing, but none of his shots were able to get past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
The Blues finally led the game for the first time when Roy Krishna's header found the back of the net following a deft flick from the near post. Just when Simon Grayson's side thought it was all wrapped up, Kiyan Nassiri was brought down by Pablo Perez inside the penalty box. Petratos stepped up to the task and bulged the net with a thumping penalty.
Udanta Singh and Rohit Kumar were so close to finding the much-deserved winner, but it was not meant to be as the game went down to the wire. All four penalty takers scored for the Maroons, while Bruno Ramires and Pablo Perez failed to hit the back of the net for the Blues.
Despite a heartbreaking defeat, the Blues have numerous positives to pick from -- following a disappointing start to their 2022-23 Indian Super League season.
We shall look at how Bengaluru FC players fared in the final.
Bengaluru FC player ratings
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 7/10: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu rarely had anything to do from open play. Petratos and Manvir had a couple of opportunities, but none of them was on target. His distribution helped the Blues on numerous occasions to break away on counterattacks.
Prabir Das - 7.5/10: Ashique Kuruniyan and Liston Colaco were not able to get the better of Prabir Das. The right-back's top-notch defensive performance included a goalline clearance to keep his side in the game during the 90th minute.
Sandesh Jhingan - 7/10: Sandesh Jhingan passed on an excellent opportunity to score after Roy Krishna's exquisite cross found him inside the six-yard box. He was defensively solid and kept the opponents at bay most of the time.
Bruno Ramires - 7/10: Bruno Ramires had a solid game and negated the threat possessed by the ATK Mohun Bagan attackers. His aerial presence helped Bengaluru FC on certain occasions.
Aleksandar Jovanovic - 6/10: Aleksandar Jovanovic was taken off at half-time after an average display. Not only was he defensively shaky, his passing also looked out of the groove as well.
Roshan Singh - 6/10: Roshan could not rest on his laurels throughout the game as Manvir Singh gave him trouble every now and then. He struggled defensively and offensively.
Suresh Wangjam - 6.5/10: Suresh Wangjam was full of energy and closed down Hugo Boumous to cut down the former Mumbai City midfielder's threat. Although he was not able to win duels, his relentless runs forced ATK MB to pass the ball behind.
Rohit Kumar - 8/10: Rohit Kumar has slowly gone on to become one of the most important players in the squad. The midfielder ran the show and nearly scored an outrageous goal from outside the penalty box during extra time.
Javi Hernandez - 7/10: Javi Hernandez was able to carry the ball, but his final delivery was not up to the mark. He was not able to feed Roy Krishna or Sunil Chhetri as he would have wanted.
Roy Krishna - 7.5/10: Roy Krishna's persistent running earned Bengaluru FC a penalty in the first half. He also created a couple of fantastic opportunities for his teammates that were left unconverted.
Sivasakthi Narayanan - N/A: A night to forget on an individual note for the youngster, who suffered a massive blow to his face within a minute after the kick-off. He was stretched off the field.
Substitutes:
Sunil Chhetri - 7.5/10: Although Chhetri was not thriving in open play, his ability from the spot pulled Bengaluru back into the game.
Pablo Perez - 5/10: You cannot ask for the worst night for Pablo Perez, who conceded a sloppy penalty and missed a penalty in the shoot-out.
Udanta Singh - 6/10: Udanta Singh manifested his breakneck pace, but it rarely troubled the backline of ATK Mohun Bagan. His glancing header was not far off the goalpost during extra time.
Alan Costa - 6/10: He was solid at the back during the second half of extra time.
Parag Shrivas - N/A: He came on during the closing stages of the game.
