MUMBAI: On the eve of the Indian Super League final, Dimas Delgado had cast his mind back to last season’s summit clash. That was a night when Bengaluru FC squandered a lead to go down 2-3 to Chennaiyin FC. Dimas had to leave mid-way due to an injury. “Ashamed,” is how he described it.
On Sunday, when Bengaluru FC went toe to toe with FC Goa in a dramatic, bruising, exhausting contest, Dimas was there to see the day through. Hailed for his set-pieces all season long, the Spanish midfielder carved out the winning chance for the team from Bengaluru. He curled the ball in from the corner, Rahul
Bheke rose to the occasion and nodded it in. Though FC Goa goalkeeper Naveen Kumar got his hand to it, the ball bounced off the post and back into the net. Bengaluru FC finally broke the deadlock in the 117th minute to secure a 1-0 win and be crowned the 2018-19 ISL champions.
The Bengaluru players did their version of a Viking clap in front of their belligerent supporters after winning at the Mumbai Football Arena. The ‘neutral’ venue wasn’t packed to the rafters on the day of the final, but the two teams have some of the most vocal supporters and the stadium heaved in patches of blue and orange.
Redemption had been the theme of the season for Bengaluru. Their pride had been clearly wounded as they lost the 2017-18 final, after promising much in their debut season. Having finished the league stage at the top of the table, the Blues though just sneaked past the finish line on Sunday.
It had been a game of near misses at both ends. Bengaluru FC, starting with a chance in the sixth minute, had been flirting with success. Their star striker Miku missed a handful of chances in both halves despite being one on one with the goalkeeper. The best of those came in the 81st minute, when Miku picked up the ball after a scramble in the box, and his shot hit the frame of the goal.
FC Goa, who were also looking for their first title after losing the 2015 final, had to return empty-handed once again. Though the team battled waves of attack from Bengaluru gamely, and even created a couple of golden chances for themselves, they were playing catch-up for most of the night. Mourtada Fall was a big, reassuring presence at the back but FC Goa, despite having the league’s top-scorer Ferran Corominas, lacked the finishing touch on the night.
They also lost their captain Mandar Desai who had to be stretchered out as he pulled his hamstring just before the conclusion of the first half, and played the second half of extra time with 10 men after Ahmed Jahouh picked up his second yellow of the night.
But like it was in the inaugural 2014 final, which Mumbai had hosted, an unheralded Indian emerged as the last-minute hero. Bheke, who hails from Mumbai, was the right man at the right time as he pulled off a timely header, from almost 16 yards out.