Chhetri's late brace, Bheke's early goal seal deal for BFC

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC defeated Hyderabad FC 3-0 in the Indian Super League on a breezy Thursday evening at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here.

Rahul Bheke tapped home the first goal in the fifth minute, and Sunil Chhetri scored a second-half brace to put the game beyond Hyderabad FC’s reach.

Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto named an all-Indian starting eleven, and it did not take long for the difference in quality between the sides to become apparent. Bheke opened the scoring with a side-footed finish from Vinith Venkatesh’s pin-point corner. 

Armed with the impetus to add to their advantage, the hosts tried to stretch the play and keep the wingers involved in the build-up. Noguera and Pedro Capo could not match Suresh Singh Wangjam’s industry, resulting in several lopsided attacks.

To their credit, Hyderabad FC kept themselves in the contest and ended the first half well. The Nizams had several chances to draw level, with Devendra Murgaonkar wasting the best opportunity in the eighth minute.

Capo lost the ball in midfield, and Parag Shrivas played in a peach of a cross to Murgaonkar, but the 25-year-old failed to hit the target.

With quick passing moves around the box and flashes of trickery, BFC kept the Hyderabad defence busy. Vinith constantly created space and was in perfect harmony with Mendes. Naorem Roshan Singh too had a good game in both attack and defence.

For Hyderabad, Abdul Rabeeh buzzed around with purpose and Ayush Adhikari’s accurate set-piece deliveries resulted in half-chances. 

HFC remained content to pick their moments to counter-attack, but their progressions were snuffed out by a back-line solidified by substitute Aleksandar Jovanovic. 

Naorem Roshan Singh won a penalty in the 85th minute, and Chhetri sent ‘keeper Arshdeep Singh the wrong way. In the fourth minute of added time, the skipper applied the finishing touches to Mendes’ cross with a diving header.

Despite the positive result, Gerard Zaragoza, the players and the home faithful left longing for a lot more, knowing that arduous tests lie ahead.

With his two goals, Chhetri’s tally in the ISL rose to 63, bringing him level with Bartholomew Ogbeche.

Result: Bengaluru FC: 3 (Rahul Bheke 5th, Sunil Chhetri 85th, 90+4th) bt Hyderabad FC: 0.