Bengaluru FC snapped their eight-match winless run in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 after a 2-0 victory against SC East Bengal at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Tuesday. Cleiton Silva scored Bengaluru’s opener in the 12th minute and Debjit Majumder was unfortunate to score an own goal just before halftime.

  • Cleiton Silva opened the scoring and Debjit Majumder put the ball into his own net as Bengaluru led by two goals at halftime.
  • Bengaluru looked comfortable in the second half as SC East Bengal failed to register a shot on target.

Both sides had a few forays into the opposition box early on as SC East Bengal dominated possession. However, it was Bengaluru that took the lead in the 12th minute through Cleiton. After a long ball from deep was launched forward by the Blues, Sunil Chhetri won the header near SC East Bengal’s box and set up Cleiton to produce a powerful left-footed finish beyond the goalkeeper that made it 1-0 for Bengaluru.

Chhetri tried to double their lead five minutes later after winning possession near SC East Bengal’s box and getting a shot away that went wide of the target. The Red and Golds continued to enjoy more of the ball after going behind, but it was Bengaluru that looked more threatening every time their players were on the attack.

The Blues, in fact, doubled their lead on the brink of halftime after a Rahul Bheke cross from the right was side-footed towards goal by substitute Parag Srivas. His shot though didn’t directly go into the goal and hit the post before ricocheting off Debjit and going into the net to put Bengaluru FC 2-0 up at the break.

SC East Bengal began the second half with more intent and purpose than in the first but creating chances were still proving to be difficult. They spent the majority of the second period in Bengaluru’s half without managing to find a defence-splitting pass in the final third and penetrating their backline.

Bengaluru were once again the superior side going forward and nearly scored a third in the 75th minute when a cross from the right was blazed over the crossbar by Chhetri. The Indian striker then struck the woodwork in the 85th minute after a defensive lapse led to Chhetri latching onto a loose ball near the box and hitting the crossbar with a venomous volley.

SC East Bengal substitute Anthony Pilkington had a chance to pull one back in the 89th minute but he couldn’t use his head to keep a cross from the right on target. In the end, the Kolkata club couldn’t conjure any sort of response after going behind as they failed to even register a single shot on target, leading to a comfortable win for the Blues.

Hero of the Match – Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri led from the front for Bengaluru during their win over SC East Bengal. The Indian legend was unlucky not to have scored as he struck the woodwork. He was involved in the first goal after his aerial challenge led to Cleiton receiving the ball. Chhetri also fulfilled his defensive responsibilities having completed a successful tackle, a successful interception and a block.

Other Match Awards:

Club Award – Bengaluru FC

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru FC)

Watch the Match Highlights here: