Bengaluru FC bows out with a whimper
Mohun Bagan Super Giant kept its hunt for the Indian Super League Shield alive with a 40 thrashing of Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.
After Hector Yuste put the side ahead in the 17th minute, the visitors killed the game by the hour mark as Manvir Singh, Anirudh Thapa and Armando Sadiku bulged the net across eight frenetic secondhalf minutes. Mohun Bagan, thus, rose to 45 points, two behind leader Mumbai City FC. The two will faceoff in the last game of the season on Monday in a straight shootout.
Sad end
For BFC, it was a sad end to its campaign as it finished 10th out of 12 teams (22 matches, 22 points). The hammering at Mohun Bagan’s hands was its jointworst at home in the league. That the earlier one also came this season — against MCFC in December that cost the then head coach Simon Grayson his job — told the story.
In the first half, BFC had the lion’s share of possession (6436), but Mohun Bagan was largely in control. Yuste hit the bar, but was sharp enough to volley the rebound in from close range to put Mohun Bagan ahead. BFC could have equalised in the 40th minute, but Sunil Chhetri, after being fouled inside the penalty area, fluffed his spotkick.
After the restart, Finn Joni Kauko was heavily involved. He created Manvir’s goal with a terrific defencesplitting backheel and had a hand in Thapa’s strike when he forced a save from Gurpreet Sandhu before Dimitrios Petratos squared the ball. Sadiku’s tapin was the final nail in the coffin.
The result: Bengaluru FC 0 lost to Mohun Bagan Super Giant 3 (Yuste 17, Manvir 51, Thapa 54, Sadiku 59).