Bengaluru FC players celebrate their title win after beating Salgaocar 2-0 in their penultimate I-League match in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Photo: R. Samuel)
The jeers and whistles flew from the stands as close to 11,000 impatient fans awaited the final whistle which would mark Bengaluru FC as the I-League champions for the second time in three years.
It duly arrived to send the crowd into a frenzy at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday as the hosts emerged 2-0 winners against Salgaocar FC, thanks to goals from Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Seiminlen Doungel on either side of the half.
With the win, the Garden City side clinched the title with 32 points with one game to spare. The Men in Blue will lift the title next Saturday when they face defending champions Mohun Bagan away in the last league tie.
The West Block Blues were in full song right from the off, unveiling a new banner for the team.
BFC manager Ashley Westwood began with Malsawmzuala in the holding role to allow Michael Collins more freedom to express himself going forward along with Lyngdoh.
And Collins, who flourished in a similar role against East Bengal, repaid his manager’s faith when his insightful long ball led to the opener in the eighth minute.
The Englishman did well to spot an unmarked Kim Song-Yong and did even better to launch a long ball invoking a rather panicked charge and flap by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh which saw the ball fall to Lyngdoh, who passed the ball into the net from just outside the box to send the fans into a frenzy.
With the home side strangling the opposition of possession and limiting their efforts for the equaliser to a shot from range, which went wide, from Jackichand Singh and another long ranger from Manandeep Singh which was tipped over by Amrinder Singh in the goal, the away side lost the plot in the latter part of the first half.
Visibly frustrated, the visitors amassed four yellow cards and were lucky to not have received more for some rather daft tackles.
At the other end, the JSW-owned side got into good positions time and again but failed to get the finishing touches.
Kim almost doubled their lead in the 22nd minute but failed to get a telling touch on Lyngdoh’s cut back before, just after the half hour mark, a swift one-two with Sunil Chhetri and Collins saw Kim receive the ball with his back to goal and an attempted shot by Collins from the layoff failed to beat the keeper.
Following a slight delay ahead of the start of the second half due to one floodlight not functioning properly, a more composed Salgaocar took the field and put pressure on the home side in the early exchanges before the hosts dominated.
With tension mounting, substitute Seiminlen Doungel put the matter beyond doubt with a goal in the 88th minute after good work from substitute Alwyn Geroge and Chhetri provided him with an easy tap in.
The crowd rose to its feet as Bengaluru sealed the title in style.
