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A consuming 210 minutes of football, couldn't separate the two sides. 16 perfectly-placed spot-kicks couldn't separate the two sides. Ultimately, two nerve-wracking kicks to the ball ended up deciding what was a blockbuster ISL 2022-23 semi-final between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC on March 12.
The unfiltered emotions of the BFC fans spilled onto social media from the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The Blues, who were grovelling in the ninth spot in the league standings on December 31 last year, went on an eight-match winning run to seal a berth in the playoffs.
Even in the knockout phase, Simon Grayson's men were undeterred while facing the heavyweights. They brushed aside Kerala Blasters in a drama-filled eliminator to set up a semi-final clash for the ages with the ISL League Shield winners.
Despite some blistering attacking football from Mumbai in the first leg, Bengaluru managed to come away with a narrow 1-0 lead. As the Blues welcomed the Islanders to their den on Sunday, it seemed like the stage was set for a mighty performance from the hosts.
However, after 120 minutes of frantic football, it was Mumbai City who stood tall in the fixture and cut down BFC's lead from the first leg. With the match tied at 2-2 on aggregate, it was time for the dreaded penalty shootout.
Both sides converted 16 penalties on the trot before Mehtab Singh, the man who had scored the equalizer for MCFC earlier in the game, stepped up. Unfazed by his slightly too-straight run-up, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu managed to parry away the center-back's effort and give Bengaluru a shot at glory.
Who's the taker? Sandesh Jhingan, the ever-reliant center-back who now had to make his mark on the other end of the pitch. As the ball kissed Jhingan's boot and nestled into the net, euphoria swallowed the Kanteerava Stadium and social media.
Here's how the fans reacted:
Bengaluru FC fans celebrate Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's heroics against Mumbai City FC on social media
In knockout ties, it's often the strikers who hog the limelight given the tightly-contested nature of the matches. But Sunday night was different.
Despite both sides' best efforts, it wasn't the most conservative game of football. Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC both attacked in numbers when the opportunity arrived, creating multiple chances.
However, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for BFC and Phurba Lachenpa for MCFC put up an absolute goalkeeping masterclass over the 90 minutes. While Gurpreet made six saves, Phurba bettered it with eight.
Fans were lavish in their praise for Sandhu on Twitter:
Ultimately, at the end of the night, it was the Bengaluru custodian who reigned supreme due to his match-winning save from Mehtab Singh's penalty. But the Twitterati lauded the efforts from both the keepers.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru will now travel to Goa to face either Hyderabad FC or ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL 2022-23 final on March 18.
