Sunil Chhetri strikes with a late header as Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai City FC in the first leg (ISL Image)
Sunil Chhetri’s 78th-minute goal gave the Blues a vital lead ahead of the second leg in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Star striker Sunil Chhetri’s late strike as a substitute helped Bengaluru FC register a 1-0 win over Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final first leg here on Tuesday.
Chhetri’s 78th minute goal gave the Blues a vital lead ahead of the second leg in Bengaluru on Sunday.
As they have all season, the Islanders were once again the team that dominated possession and created more scoring chances than their opponents.
In the second minute, Greg Stewart set the pace on the right with a low cross back into the box for Bipin Singh, whose shot was blocked by Prabir Das. The defender was called into action again after just ten minutes to deny Lalengmawia Ralte and Jorge Diaz after a one-two.
At the other end of the pitch, Roshan Naorem’s through ball went past Murtada Fall, but Phurba Lachenpa got down and got to the ball before Roy Krishna could do the damage, and that was pretty much the Blues’ penchant for the first half .
With only five minutes from the break, Stewart sent Diaz through on goal with a defence-splitting pass from the edge of the box. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was quick to get off the line to thwart the Argentine striker as the impasse continued at the break.
Before the hour mark, Bengaluru FC brought on Chhetri to replace Sivasakthi Narayanan, and the experienced India skipper made the difference for his team for the second game in a row.
In the final quarter of the game, the deadlock was broken by the visitors, moments after Das’s long-range effort hit the bar for a corner. Chhetri escaped his marker and made his way towards the near post, where he headed in Roshan’s corner to score a crucial goal for his team.
Bengaluru FC were then the side that created the more potent chances as the hosts were resigned to play outside the box by a disciplined defence. Chhetri was again at the forefront, forcing Lachenpa to make two saves.
One of those stoppages was in the last minute of time, as Bengaluru FC broke through in the final third to create a 3-vs-2 situation as the ball came to an unmarked Chhetri. He went on to score at the near post but Lachampa was alert to keep Bengaluru FC’s advantage down to a less intimidating level ahead of the second leg.
The Blues eventually took a slim advantage, extending their winning streak in the ISL to ten games.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
