ISL: Bengaluru FC enter final with NEUFC win

They did it against FC Pune City last year in the ISL semifinal and Monday was no different.
Bengaluru FC’s Miku (C) scored the opener against NorthEast United during the second leg of the semifinals at Sree Kanteerava Stadium | shriram bn
Bengaluru FC’s Miku (C) scored the opener against NorthEast United during the second leg of the semifinals at Sree Kanteerava Stadium | shriram bn

BENGALURU: Seasons change, players change, coaches change but Bengaluru FC’s never-say-never attitude doesn’t. So what if they had a disappointing second half of the Indian Super League where Carles Cuadrat’s men lost five of their last eight games? So what if they had lost the first leg of the semifinal despite topping the league table. Sunil Chhetri & Co always finds a way to live up to their expectations. They did it against Johor Darul Ta’azim in the AFC Cup semifinals two years ago. 

They did it against FC Pune City last year in the ISL semifinal and Monday was no different. Miku (72’), Dimas Delgado (87’) and Sunil Chhetri (90+1’) were on target as Bengaluru eased past NorthEast United FC 3-0 and cruised to their second consecutive final here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

The 1-2 loss in Guwahati meant Bengaluru needed just a goal to knock the visitors out considering the away goal rule still applies. But Cuadrat knew they had to up the ante at the fortress and rightly so he started with a three-man backline instead of a regular four, concentrating more on the attack. Eelco Schattorie’s men, as expected, went on the defensive from the word go and only relied on the counter-attacks. As a result, Bengaluru dominated proceedings right from the beginning and as many as four chances went begging in the first half.

However, Bengaluru’s ultra-attacking mode had its flaws too. NorthEast had a chance in the eighth minute of the game when a defensive mistake from Dimas Delgado allowed Federico Gallego to make a run. The Uruguayan passed it for Juan Mascia but his shot was saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. It was wave after wave of Bengaluru attack after that, although, without any change in the scoreline.

The second half had a similar beginning as Bengaluru’s search for the opening continued. The hosts had two chances in the first five minutes but NorthEast custodian Pawan Kumar was up to the mark to deny them. As NorthEast struggled to find their feet, they were dealt a big blow in the 54th minute. Winger Gallego went for a sliding tackle on Miku and had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance. With Rowlin Borges out injured and Bartholomew Ogbeche benched due to injury, Schattorie was running out of options and Bengaluru took full advantage of that.

Miku, who was not at his best on the evening, was finally on target when he converted from an Udanta Singh cross in the 72nd minute. The young Manipuri winger, with his pace, kept the pressure on NorthEast defenders throughout the evening. Against the run of play, Udanta’s run beat an opponent defender but his chip hit the post and fell to Delgado who slotted it home.

Desperate for a goal, NorthEast committed more men forward and as a result, were caught off guard. Chhetri played a one-two with Miku before making a solo run. One-on-one with Kumar, he beat the goalkeeper and struck to make it 3-0 in the injury time and put his team in the final.

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