RRR mantra works as Blues rout Odisha
BENGALURU: Bengaluru FC fans' new mantra, RRR (Regroup, Rejuvenate, Reclaim), seemed to have rubbed off on the former champions who battled their way to a 3-1 win against Odisha FC at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here on Saturday to stay in contention for a top-6 finish that will ensure a playoff spot.
Comeback Kings Odisha threatened by making it 1-2 in the 50th minute when Brazilian Deigo Mauricio sent goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the wrong way from the spot. This after Sandhu fouled the star striker inside the box forcing referee Senthil Nathan to award a penalty.
The BFC defence marshalled by Sandesh Jhingan, who managed to keep Mauricio quiet in a rough and tough battle, held firm thereafter before substitute and new recruit Pablo Perez made it 3-1 in the added time to give Blues their first sequence of back-to-back wins this season. BFC remain eighth with 16 points from 14 matches and level with Chennaiyin FC who have played a match less.
Starting with young Sivasakthi and Roy Krishna upfront, with skipper Sunil Chhetri on the bench, the Blues withstood Odisha FC's pressure for the first 25 minutes before opening the account through Rohit Kumar. Crafted by Javi Hernandez, Rohit made full use of the Odisha's defence's mistakes as he deflected the ball home.
Odisha, who protested for a foul, leading to their coach Josep Gombau getting a yellow, were soon staring a two-goal deficit when Sivasakthi fed Krishna in the 28th minute and the Fijian striker made no mistake, taking his tally against Odisha to seven.
Javi had a great chance in the 40th minute to put the match beyond Odisha's reach but the Spaniard couldn't beat OFC goalkeeper Amrinder Singh.
Results: Bengaluru FC 3 (Rohit 25, Krishna 28, Perez 90) bt Odisha FC 1 (Mauricio 50-pen); ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City FC
Today's match: NorthEast United FC vs FC Goa (Live, StarSports, 7.30 pm)
