Bengaluru FC defeated their arch-rivals and defending champions Chennaiyin FC by 1-0 at the Kanteerava Stadium in Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 season on Sunday. BFC’s perfect start was a narrow win, but the Sunil Chhetri-led side will take the three points nevertheless, thanks to a solid finish by Miku in the first half.
The defending champions Chennaiyin FC were poor in front of the goal as they missed plenty of clear-cut chances in the first half.
Let us check 3 talking points from Bengaluru FC vs Chennaiyin FC:
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Clinical Miku:
BFC’s clinical hotshot initially struggled to get accustomed to the pace of the game, however, he blasted off a shot to bulge the net in the 41-minute mark after he found a pass by Xisco Hernandez.
The Venezuelan’s link-up play with Sunil Chhetri was a treat to watch and the duo’s chemistry kept the Chennaiyin FC’s defenders at bay for most of the second half.
The 33-year-old’s pace constantly troubled the centre-back partners Eli Sabia and Mailson Alves and his ability to hold the ball up frustrated them in the dying minutes. He was rightly named the Man of the Match award.
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Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – BFC’s Spiderman
The Bengaluru FC’s star goalkeeper had a spectacular match with some memorable saves to deny Chennaiyin FC with their first goal of the season. The Blues No. 1 effort to deny Germanpreet’s rocket from outside the box was one of the best in recent times.
Gurpreet’s reflex also came into action as he denied Mailson Alves’ back heel from close range before Gregory Nelson swivelled past three players. Even during the set-pieces, Gurpreet was on his top form to deny Jeje on a couple of occasions.
Forgettable Night for Jeje Lalpekhlua:
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Chennaiyin’s striker and one of the best players in Indian football Jeje Lalpekhlua had a forgettable game. Jeje missed two glorious chances when the game was locked at 0-0. Even during an instance of counter attack, Gregory Nelson found Jeje and on his usual day Jeje would have rifled that shot into the net but he was caught napping and made a wayward pass to Germanpreet Singh only for him to hit the side netting.
Chennaiyin’s coach John Gregory was pretty upset by the forward’s display, but he would know that for a successful season for the club, Jeje is an important player and they would need him the most.
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