KOLKATA — Indian
football legend Sunil Chhetri scored twice late in the match as Bengaluru FC
prevailed over Mohammedan SC 2-1 in an Indian Super League 2024-25 match at the
Kishore Bharati Krirangan here on Wednesday. The Blues now have registered a
win against all three Kolkata clubs this season.
It was Cesar Manzoki, who handed the hosts an early lead but
Chhetri came on as a substitute and scored two goals to see the visitors return
home with a famous win. He became the first player to score against all the 15
ISL teams and now also leads the league in scoring the most spot-kicks (20) in
the competition’s history.
Mohammedan SC had a spring in their steps from the start of
the match as they pressed Bengaluru FC as a whole unit. They were even winning
the second balls, and Manzoki, pairing up with Mirjalol Kasimov and Carlos
Franca, caused many problems for the Blues, who started the game with an
all-Indian backline.
The positive start bore fruit for the home team as they
opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Manzoki rose highest to head the
ball home from Kasimov’s beautiful corner. It was a goal straight out of the
training ground as the marksman repaid Andrey Chernyshov’s faith in him by
netting his first goal of the season.
In the first 20 minutes, Bengaluru FC failed to make
penetrative runs with nothing to show for their lion’s share of possession.
However, the Blues finished the first half strongly with Ryan Williams causing
some problems for the Mohammedan SC defence. However, the Florent Ogier-led
backline of Mohammedan SC held their fort brilliantly to enter the break with a
slender lead.
The second half started with a golden opportunity for the
hosts to double their lead. Manzoki controlled a long ball with aplomb, setting
up play for Franca in the penalty box. However, the Brazilian’s effort was way
off target. In the 53rd minute, Gerard Zaragoza decided to bring on Sunil
Chhetri to add more attacking impetus. The move allowed Jorge Pereyra Diaz to
switch to a wider role with Chhetri taking the central position.
While the Blues dominated possession, they failed to create
openings even with Chhetri on the field. Williams caused some trouble with his
crosses but the Australian was not on the same wavelength as Diaz.
In the 70th minute, Chernyshov decided to freshen things up
by bringing Alexis Gomez in place of Franca. The Argentine almost made an
instant impact for the hosts when Remsanga released him on the left flank
following a fast break. Gomez composed himself and struck the ball low to the
left but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied him with a fantastic save.
In the 82nd minute, Manzoki brought down Capo in the penalty
box to reward the Blues with a perfect opportunity to equalize. Chhetri stepped
up and hammered the ball into the extreme left corner to bring Bengaluru FC
back into the game. With that goal, he became the first player to score against
all the 15 ISL teams. He has also scored eight goals after coming on as a
substitute, a record only bettered by Diego Mauricio (10).
Mohammedan SC almost had the perfect retaliation after
conceding. Gomez won the possession and released Remsanga on the right, who
found Manzoki in the box. The lanky forward lost his marker with his smart
movement but his header struck the post on its way out. In the end, despite all
odds, Bengaluru FC eventually took the lead in the dying moments of the match
when Chhetri stepped up from Lalremtluanga Fanai’s cross to head the ball home
past Bhaskar in goal. The move saw the Blues secure the maximum points from the
match.
Mohammedan SC will take on Jamshedpur FC on December 2 while
Bengaluru FC take on Odisha FC on December 1 at the Kalinga Stadium.
