BENGALURU — Former
winner Bengaluru FC produced a late comeback to claim a point after a 2-2 draw
against FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Sree Kanteerava
Stadium here on Saturday. The Blues have thus extended their unbeaten streak on
home turf to seven matches this season, winning five games and drawing two.
For the initial 10 minutes, FC Goa attempted to set the tone
for the match. They pressed high up, recovered possession, and earned
set-pieces to assert their blueprint in the game. One such free-kick came their
way in the seventh minute when Dejan Drazic launched a looping delivery from
the right end of the field. Sandesh Jhingan, surrounded by a host of Bengaluru
players, showed tremendous aerial ability to jump and head the ball into the
bottom left corner from the centre of the box to open the scoring.
However, Bengaluru FC soon gained control over the game and
began orchestrating the proceedings. The Blues’ offence was spearheaded by
Sunil Chhetri, and high on confidence, the striker pulled off an ambitious
attempt at goal from a fair distance outside of the box in the 14th minute. The
precision of the shot was praiseworthy as it was directed straight at the
bottom left corner before it was stopped by FC Goa custodian Hrithik Tiwari.
The duo of Ryan Williams and Chhetri have developed a fine
understanding this season, with the former’s timely crosses being met by the
striker inside the box regularly. The home team encountered an opportunity to
equalise in the 56th minute as Chhetri headed a similar delivery by Williams
from the left side of the six-yard box, but it missed hitting the target by a
whisker.
Interestingly, despite Bengaluru FC’s repeated efforts to
trouble FC Goa from a distance, it was Sahil Tavora who notched a strike from
outside of the box in the 66th minute to double the Gaurs’ lead. He pulled off
a peach of a strike that landed straight into the top right corner and caught
the Bengaluru FC backline off guard. The goal was a culmination of a brief
passage where the visitors pushed against the run of play to create
opportunities up front.
The Blues quickly struck back, as Williams cut the deficit
in the 71st minute with a brilliant finish off a through ball by Vinith
Venkatesh, who came on as a substitute for Harsh Patre in the 57th minute.
Venkatesh made his presence felt by slicing through the FC Goa backline with a
perfectly weighted delivery for Williams at the centre of the box, which was
then netted into the centre of the goal by the latter.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz too came off the bench for Bengaluru FC
in the 57th minute, replacing Méndez. His introduction added firepower in the
final third for the home side, and the move paid off when he slotted home a
timely pass by Roshan Singh in the 83rd minute to draw the scores level.
Positioned right in the middle of the FC Goa box, Diaz broke no sweat in
converting the opportunity, showcasing Bengaluru FC’s laudable squad depth too.
