I-League: Bengaluru FC return to winning ways

Bengaluru FC’s Siam Hangal (centre) vies for the ball with DSK Shivajians players in their I-League game in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The hosts won 4-1. — R.SAMUEL

Ashley Westwood’s call for a response was met with a strong performance as Bengaluru FC returned to winning ways with a 4-1 win over DSK Shivajians at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.

Sunil Chhetri, Kim Song-Yong, Shankar Sampingiraj and Seiminlen Doungel found the net for the home side while former BFC midfielder S. Kuttymani struck for the visitors.

The men of steel retained their top spot with 15 points from seven games, one ahead of East Bengal and four ahead of Mohun Bagan, who have two games in hand and drew at Mumbai, in the table. Shivajians remain eighth with four points from six outings.

With one eye on Saturday’s clash against title rivals Mohun Bagan, Westwood made four changes to his lineup, with Beikhokhei Beingaichho, Shankar, Siam Hangal coming into midfield while Keegan Pereira took the spot at left back. The change paid dividends as Hangal and Shankar’s energy provided time and space for Michael Collins to orchestrate attacks.

The hosts began brightly and took the lead just under a quarter of an hour when an unnecessary foul on Kim gave the home side a freekick right outside the box. A gift of a chance, gratefully accepted by Chhetri who took two steps and curled the ball into the top corner with minimum fuss.

Shivajians went close to levelling seven minutes later but defender John Johnson managed to crane his neck enough to flick the ball right off the head of Kuttymani.

BFC continued to build up their play and was effective on the right with Rino Anto and Beingaichho combining well and it was through one such move they doubled their lead with the former finding Kim with a weighted cross and the North Korean emphatically powering his header in.