Bengaluru FC’s I-League season went from troubled to miserable after East Bengal inflicted a stunning 3-1 defeat at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Saturday.
The returning Robin Singh, once adored by these crowds, received a rather rude welcome from the BFC faithful, but the striker had the last laugh, scoring twice in the second half against his former team. It put the game to bed, after Wedson Anselme had opened the scoring with a splendid solo effort.
Tense end
C.K. Vineeth reduced the margin late on, which made for a tense final few minutes, but it mattered little in the end. The result extended BFC’s winless streak to seven matches in the I-League, leaving it 11 points adrift of table-topping East Bengal.
Much of the anger in the crowd towards Robin, who revels in casting himself as the villain, perhaps resulted from his decision to celebrate his strike in the reverse fixture.
He did not do so this time, but that will have been little consolation for the home support. After taking a 1-0 lead into the interval, East Bengal had to absorb some early BFC pressure in the second period. Sunil Chhetri’s header across goal in the 53rd minute offered Daniel Lalhlimpuia a gilded opportunity but the substitute’s shot sailed over the bar.
Less than a minute later, East Bengal scored at the other end. The full-back Robert Lalthlamuana drove down the left wing before swinging in a fine cross. Robin made no mistake, guiding his header into the bottom corner.
As BFC surged forward, East Bengal struck the killer blow on the break. A cross from the right was chested down by Christopher Payne Baden, and Robin applied the finishing touches.
It was the final nail in the coffin on a difficult evening for BFC. Albert Roca’s men had struggled for cohesion during a lively first half when East Bengal clearly had the better of the exchanges.
Trevor Morgan made seven changes to the side that lost to Aizawl FC and if he was looking for a response, he got one.
Robin blazed an early shot over the bar. Anselme was a bustling, creative presence just behind the front two, bothering BFC no end. Behind him, Mehtab Hossain shadowed Sunil Chhetri, giving BFC’s skipper — and vital creative outlet — little room for manoeuvre.
The opening goal was the product of a piece of individual brilliance from Anselme. A BFC foray upfield broke down and the giant East Bengal centre-half Ivan Bukenya sparked the counter-attack with a fine cross-field pass into Anselme’s feet. The Haitian stormed down the inside-right channel, cut inside on his left foot, and unleashed a flawless, curling effort into the far corner. Overpowered in central midfield, BFC sought to use the flanks but the excellent Bukenya handled any crosses with ease.
Aizawl posts win
At Aizawl, Aizawl FC beat Chennai City FC 1-0 with Brandon Vanlalremdika scoring the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute.
The results: Bengaluru FC 1 (C.K. Vineeth 85) lost to East Bengal 3 (Wedson Anselme 23, Robin Singh 54, 60). At Aizawl: Aizawl FC 1 (Vanlalremdika 53) bt Chennai City FC 0.
