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Sunil Chhetri scored a sublime goal as Bengaluru were made to work hard for their 1-0 victory over ATK in Sunday's second ISL match up. The win catapulted the Blues to the top of the points table while the visitors remain in the seventh position. Here are the major talking points from tonight's battle.
#1 How are Bengaluru so dominant during set pieces?
The home side won four corners and multiple free kicks in the opening 20 minutes and managed to trouble ATK on every single occasion. Edu Garcia's pin point delivery found a Bengaluru player every single time. The consistency was admirable.
Mind you, ATK have some extremely tall men in their ranks as well. But BFC still managed to create havoc everytime they were awarded a corner. The likes of Paartalu, Miku, Juanan were all breathing down the neck of ATK's defenders, not giving them a moment of respite.
It's not everyday you see an Indian team so consistently dangerous during set pieces. Bengaluru have managed to add a deadly weapon in their already heavy arsenal. The secret lies in the hunger and intent of the men inside the box. BFC's players always seem more eager to win the ball.
#2 Keane-Robin partnership needs polishing
ATK manager, Teddy Sheringham decided to deploy Keane and Robin Singh up front against Bengaluru tonight. It was a bold move considering the fact that they were playing away from home against a dangerous BFC side.
It meant promising youngster, Hitesh Sharma had to settle for a place on the bench. But Robin and Keane struggled to form any kind of effective partnership. While Robin was the furthest man on the pitch, Keane was positioned behind him, operating as a number 10.
Despite all their talent, they never got going as a pair. Bengaluru dominated possession and it meant ATK had to resort to playing on the counter. Truth be told, Keane isn't the fastest player at his age, neither is Robin known for his pace.
#3 Sunil Chhetri scores screamer to give his side the lead
Bengaluru's captain, Sunil Chhetri scored a belter to top off an extremely frantic first half between two extremely physical teams. With BFC looking most dangerous from dead ball situations, Sunil was rarely involved in the thick of things. However, like we saw with Jeje tonight, Sunil too showed why world class strikers need only half a chance to punish their opponents.
ATK cheaply conceded possession just outside their own box. The loose ball fell kindly to Chhetri who took a touch before unleashing a venomous long range effort past keeper, Debjit. That goal was his fifth of the campaign in nine games.
Sunil's long ranger had power, dip and swerve. Bengaluru's main man displayed immaculate technique scoring the first goal of the game. It did take a deflection though.
#4 Right, left, centre - Edu Garcia was everywhere
Spaniard, Edu Garcia had a busy day in the office tonight. Bengaluru's creative linchpin covered considerable distance across the middle of the park. Add to that the dead ball duties he had.
Garcia was omnipresent and seamlessly ensured that Bengaluru transitioned from defence to attack. He regularly managed to find his teammates and released them into dangerous pockets in the final third.
Unlike previous games, Garcia was far more attack minded tonight and was never afraid to run at ATK's defenders. He brought a sense of calm within the Bengaluru camp during a match which was extremely unpredictable and unhinged.
#5 ATK missed a playmaker tonight
One look at the statistics table tonight should give you a good reason as to why ATK failed to cut open Bengaluru's defence. The visitors had the better possession (53%), they managed more passes and even executed 11 interceptions, eight more than their counterparts.
However they faltered where it mattered most. ATK sorely missed a play-maker tonight. Someone who could feed Robin Singh and Robbie Keane. The absence of a creative outlet meant, two of their star strikers looked isolated, frustrated and found it extremely tough to get on the ball.
When they did get it, they had their backs to the goal and had to come deep to receive it. From that position, they were hardly dangerous and Bengaluru's defence looked at ease for most parts of the game. The usually lively, Zequinha was quiet tonight and his ineffectiveness proved to be the difference between both the sides.
