Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC huffed and puffed before finally finding the back of the net in their 2-0 win over Mumbai City FC, marking their Indian Super League debut on a sweet note at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.
With Alexandre Guimares featuring a 4-2-3-1 to tackle Albert Roca’s versatile 4-3-3, the game promised to be an interesting tactical battle.
The best chance of the first half fell to talisman Chhetri in the 23rd minute, who volleyed striker Miku’s aerial pullback just wide off the left post. But the dynamic press from Bengaluru’s midfield pair of Lenny Rodrigues and Paartalu, and the BFC forward triumvirate spurred numerous chances.
The second half saw the Blues push the tempo further up a notch, and they were rewarded for their persistence when a back pass from Mumbai’s defence escaped Amrinder resulting in BFC’s umpteenth corner.
Edu Garcia, playing a sweeping role for the Blues assumed set-piece duty and took the corner short, before receiving it again, moving inwards and unleashing a low left-footed drive that squirmed through Amrinder’s near post.
It was a well-rehearsed routine that followed a costly defensive error in the 67th minute.
Committing too many bodies forward but not having much say in front of goal was Mumbai’s undoing. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Miku was played though brilliantly by livewire Undanta’s through ball, rounded off the keeper but slashed into the side net with the goal gaping. However, Chhetri was on hand to wrap things up after confusion between substitute defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Amrinder saw them fail to deal with a long, leaving Chhetri to claim his 8th ISL goal and first for BFC.
