Miku scored a first-half goal as Bengaluru FC began their ISL season with a win against Chennaiyin FC at the Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday.
The home side began the game with two debutants – Albert Serran and Xisco Hernandez – in their playing eleven. Bengaluru FC deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation while the visitors also had the same formation with Jeje Lalpekhlua upfront.
It was Bengaluru who started the game on the front foot. As a result, Chennaiyin’s back-line came under pressure straightaway. Not surprisingly, Bengaluru got the first chance of the game when Erik Paartalu had the chance to put them ahead in the very third minute. But Chennaiyin, on their part, did extremely well to soak the early pressure with Mailson Alves standing like a rock at the back-line.
As far as attacking war concerned, the defending champions depended mostly on counters. They also tried to cash in on Bengaluru’s vulnerable flanks but failed to find the breakthrough. They came close to breaking the deadlock after Nelson and Jeje combined to create a one-on-one opportunity inside the box. However, Jeje uncharacteristically hit the shot wide.
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On the other end, Udanta impressed from the left side but failed to do well in the final third. And as the game moved on, both the teams settled down as few goal-scoring chances were seen.
It looked like the half would end in a stalemate before Miku drew the first and eventually the only blood four minutes from the break. Xisco’s pass found Miku before the Venezuelan hit the ball past Karanjit Singh although he looked to be marginally offside.
After the break, it was the reigning champions who began on the front-foot as they searched for the equaliser. They dominated the possession early on but soon lost the rhythm. Chennaiyin failed to create any clear-cut chance in the final third and as a result failed to find a way past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.