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Bengaluru FC made it three wins in a row in the 2023 Reliance Foundation Development League with a 1-0 win against FC Bengaluru United at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday. A late goal from Clarence Fernandes (90′) sealed the deal for the Blue Colts who overcame a stubborn United side to continue their winning run.
Kaizad Ambapardiwala, who took charge of the side in the absence of Head Coach Jan van Loon, made one change to the starting lineup from the previous game, with Kamalesh Palanisamy replacing Harmanpreet Singh.
A tight and cagey first half ensued, as the two goalkeepers had very little to do. Both teams came up short in translating possession into clear-cut chances, and apart from the occasional forays into the box, the sides produced very little threat on goal.
The Blue Colts had a chance to open the scoring in the 40th minute when Ashik Adhikari floated in a cross from the right for Kamalesh, but the forward nodded his effort narrowly wide to keep the game goalless going into the break.
Into the second period, the Blue Colts upped the tempo and showed more intent and threat. In the 48th minute, Satendra Singh found himself at the end of a well-worked move by Shreyas Ketkar, when the midfielder sent in a cross which Kamalesh headed into the box for Satendra, but United ‘keeper Jeevan Kumar showed great reflexes to deny the forward’s attempt from just outside the six-yard box.
Satendra was in the thick of things once again when he found space behind United’s backline before finding space to shoot. But the forward ended up dragging his shot across the face of goal.
In a bid to make a late push for an opener, Ambapardiwala brought on Lalhmingchhuanga and Harpreet Singh to replace Damaitphang Lyngdoh and Kamalesh. Just when it seemed like the game would end in a stalemate, Clarence Fernandes found himself at the end of a cross from Ketkar and headed home from close range to put the Blue Colts in the lead just before added time.
Bengaluru FC held on for the remaining minutes to bag a hard-earned win against a resolute FC Bengaluru United side. The Blue Colts remain top of the South region standings with maximum points from their first three games, and will face Mohammedan Sporting in their next encounter at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday.
