Bengaluru FC moved to within a point of table-topping Mohun Bagan with an untroubled 3-0 rout of East Bengal in the I-League here on Sunday.
BFC had failed to beat East Bengal on all four previous occasions, but the home team was emphatic in snapping that streak at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Sean Rooney scored the opener in the first half, and Sunil Chhetri added a second after the interval, with Eugeneson Lyngdoh having a hand in both goals. Robin Singh netted the third moments from the end.
The result lifted BFC to second on the table with 31 points from 16 matches, albeit having played one game more than Mohun Bagan.
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The BFC goal was rarely threatened during the first half, with East Bengal’s early zest evaporating quickly. Omagbemi Dudu applied some pressure on the defence, cutting in from the right, but Lalthuammawia Ralte, the BFC ’keeper, had little work to do in the opening period.
East Bengal stacked men behind the ball for large parts of the half, leaving Ranti Martins, the league’s top-scorer, isolated up front.
At the other end, C.K. Vineeth was lively. He showed speed and deftness of touch and combined well with Rooney in attack. His early efforts were thwarted, leaving BFC a little frustrated.
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The breakthrough arrived just after half an hour, when Lyngdoh’s corner was shot home by Rooney. Abhijit Mondal failed to gather the ball, which bounced in front of the Australian just inside the area.
BFC stormed off the blocks in the second half, with sharp, early forays into the box. Chhetri and Lyngdoh both came close without scoring but they soon combined for the second.
On the hour mark, Lyngdoh’s flat free-kick from the edge of the area was glanced in by Chhetri with his head. Robin Singh, who had come on for a limping Rooney late in the first half, then missed the simplest of chances, firing over the bar with only the goal-keeper to beat.
The game opened up a little hereafter, with East Bengal forced to drive forward and BFC happy to counter-attack. With the clock ticking down, Dudu came within a whisker of pulling one back but Ralte pulled off a stunning save with his feet to deny the Nigerian.
East Bengal pushed forward desperately, but it only enabled BFC to attack on the break. Two minutes from time, Robin, playing against his old team, put the final nail in the coffin.
The result: Bengaluru FC 3 (Sean Rooney 31, Sunil Chhetri 60, Robin Singh 88) bt East Bengal 0.
At Shillong: Royal Wahingdoh FC 4 (Seityasen Singh 11, 68, 82; Densil Theobald 60) bt Salgaocar 2 (Douhou Pierre 56, Darryl Duffy 90+).