Bengaluru FC started their defence of the I-League title by playing out a 0-0 draw against Dempo in the first round of games. Bengaluru were the better side and they might have thought they missed out on 3 points as Sunil Chhetri missed a penalty in the first half.
It wasn’t a bad result for Bengaluru, at least it gives them a start for the I-League, this being the first game of the season not a lot should be taken out from the game. Dempo would be pleased with the result though, Papas’ side were good at holding on to the game, although Bengaluru did have quite a few good chances to win the game.
Here are 5 talking points from the 1st game of the Bengaluru title defence.
Robin Singh isn’t helping himself
When Robin Singh broke into the football scene with East Bengal was considered as one of the best players and was expected to make it big in the Indian team. He has the strength to do well but against Dempo he was all over the place, often going too strong in tackles and duels. He was fouling players too often and if he isn’t careful he could be seeing a lot of cautions throughout the season.
Romeo out but for how long?
One of the stars from the concluded ISL was Romeo Fernandes, the pacey winger was one of the best players in the tournament and was hoping to continue his form in the first game of the I-League season. He started off really well with a few threatening crosses but then had to be taken off due to an injury. Dempo will be really worried about how long Romeo might be out for as he could be one of the players who could make a difference for the team.
The penalty miss
44 minutes into the game, Bengaluru had a penalty given to them when Sean Rooney was brought down in the box. The ever reliable Sunil Chettri stepped up to take the penalty but his penalty was saved by the Dempo goalkeeper.
Had that penalty been converted the complexion of the game would have been completely different and you would have expected Bengaluru to score a few more goals, the penalty save was crucial in deciding the fate of the game.
The first game of a long season
The I-League has just started and with a lot of games to go, this result was not the worst one. Both teams would have learned a lot about their team and can build on the result. Bengaluru did look great at the start of the game but Dempo did come back well to hold onto the draw and get an important point. The teams will get much better as the season progresses and hopefully can do well to take their team to the top of the pile.
The support for Bengaluru
In the earlier game between Salgaocar and Pune FC, there really wasn’t a crowd at the game, it was so eerily silent during the game, thankfully the next game was slightly better with a lot of spectators turning up to support the home crowd.
The stadium still was not full and unlike the games in the ISL, the I-League hasn’t had the support and fan following as people would want. The Indian football scene needs a lot of intervention to ensure the growth of the sport and more importantly to increase the quality of play, sadly it seems it is going to take a lot of time for it to happen.
Picture courtesy: The hard tackle & The Hindu