Sports

Bengaluru FC Start ISL Campaign With A Win Against East Bengal FC

Bengaluru FC (BFC) started their Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 campaign with a 1-0 win over East Bengal FC (EBFC) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. Vinith Venkatesh’s solitary goal was the difference between the two teams.

It was a very cagey start from both sides, with plenty of tackles flying in, mostly to disrupt the momentum. Nandha Kumar was guilty of a mistimed challenge in the third minute when he brought down Suresh Wangjam. The East Bengal FC winger received a yellow card for his reckless tackle. Despite the caution, tackles kept flying as Lalchungnunga and later Hector Yuste also joined Nandha into the referee’s book.

First real opportunity

The first real opportunity of the game came when Jeakson Singh collected a loose ball outside the penalty area. He launched a thumping effort towards the goal, forcing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to come up with his best to thwart away the danger.

Six minutes later, Bengaluru FC had an opportunity of their own when Roshan Singh picked Mohammed Rakip’s pocket in a dangerous area, starting a counterattack. He squared the ball to Edgar Mendez in space, probably expecting a return pass from the Spaniard. But the experienced striker decided to test Prabhsukhan Gill from long range. Mendez’s eventual effort went skimming over the post.

Vinith Venkatesh with an exceptional touch for Bengaluru FC

The Blues finally went ahead courtesy of an excellent move from Mendez, who picked Vinith Venkatesh in space on the right. The youngster created space with an exceptional touch before firing the ball into the bottom corner in the 26th minute.

Read More: Premier League: Liverpool Suffers Shocking Home Loss To Forest For First Time In 55 Years

The second half saw more of the same aggressive football between the two teams with many challenges flying in, especially in the middle of the park. Nandha had the golden opportunity to bring East Bengal back into the game when Hijazi Maher played him into space. However, his thunderous effort from just outside the box was kept out by Gurpreet.
Carles Cuadrat decided to turn to star signing Madih Talal at the expense of Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 57th minute, while Gerard Zaragoza also brought on the likes of Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Ryan Williams to inject more energy upfront.

East Bengal FC falling short

In the 69th minute, the substitution almost paid off when Diaz found the back of the net but moments later he was flagged offside. On the other end, substitute Vishnu PV combined well with Talal but the former’s effort was too tame to trouble Gurpreet. The visitors continued to push forward in the final quarter as Cleiton Silva found himself in space but the Brazilian shot was way over the target.

Their hopes of salvaging something from the match took a severe hit when Lalchungnunga was given marching orders in the 87th minute following a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Williams. Eventually, East Bengal FC fell short despite creating several openings throughout the match.

Vinith Venkatesh’s debut for Bengaluru FC

“It was a fairy tale ISL debut for Bengaluru FC academy graduate, Vinith Venkatesh. He showed glimpses of his brilliance in the recently concluded Durand Cup and carried that momentum into the new ISL season. In 45 minutes of action, the 19-year-old scored the decisive goal and also had 77% passing accuracy,” Vinith Venkatesh said after the match, as quoted by ISL.

East Bengal FC will be on the road as they will travel to Kochi to face Kerala Blasters on September 22 whereas Bengaluru FC will host Hyderabad FC next in ISL 2024-25 on September 19.

Also Read: After How Long Did Marcus Rashford Score A Goal? Manchester United Forward FINALLY Ends Drought Against Southampton

  • With inputs from agencies
Zubair Amin

Zubair Amin is a Senior Content Producer at NewsX. He produces multimedia content about world affairs, international relations and India's foreign relations. He tweets at @zubaiyramin

Recent Posts

Who is Sriram Krishnan? Donald Trump Adds Another Indian-Origin In His Cabinet

Sriram Krishnan has held leadership roles in product teams at major tech companies, including Microsoft,…

6 mins ago

Watch: 100-Kg Python Found Near Girls Hostel At Assam University

A massive 100-kg Burmese python, weighing 17 feet, was rescued from Assam University’s Girls Hostel…

11 mins ago

National Farmers’ Day: Why Is Kisan Diwas Observed on Birth Anniversary of Former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh?

Every year on December 23, India celebrates National Farmers’ Day, or Kisan Diwas, to honor…

12 mins ago

Abhijeet Bhattacharya Stirs Controversy After Saying Gandhi Was Pakistan’s Father Of The Nation

Over the years, Abhijeet lent his voice to a wide range of Bollywood stars, including…

26 mins ago

National Farmers’ Day 2024: History Of Kisan Diwas, Significance And More

Kisan Diwas, celebrated on December 23, stands as a tribute to the nation’s farmers and…

31 mins ago

Will Donald Trump Handover His Presidency To Elon Musk? President-Elect Retorts, ‘Not Happening’

Elon Musk, known for his significant political contributions, donated $238.5 million to Trump’s presidential campaign—the…

53 mins ago