Bengaluru FC denied Mumbai City FC a win as they cruised to a 3-0 win at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. Goals from Farooq and an Ibara brace in the first period ensured 3 points for the Blues. Besides the scorers, Naorem Roshan put up a stunning display on the flanks.
Danish Farooq (8′) put Bengaluru ahead early on with an impressive low drive from outside the box. Later, Prince Ibara (23′, 45′) bagged a brace with 2 imposing headers to round it off for 3-0.
Mumbai City FC 0-3 Bengaluru FC: The Game
Kicking off the tie, Mumbai started the game on a bright note. Keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was on his toes from the word go – denying Cassinho and Bipin Singh minutes after the first whistle. But, it was the Blues who went ahead after 8 minutes.
Current Premier League Standings
Danish Farooq was the first on the scoresheet. A powerful, grounded left-footed strike from the edge of the area flew beyond Phurba Lachenpa into the net. With it, Bengaluru began to grow more confident.
The second came from Prince Ibara. Wingback Naorem Roshan wrong-footed Bheke at the touchline to deliver a pinpoint cross into the box. The Congolese was present to meet it, smashing in a header from inside the 16 yard box to double his team’s lead.
The Blues piled on pressure, coming close to scoring multiple times. It was Roshan who was pulling all the strings. With 5 minutes added as first half injury time, Bengaluru received the fruits of their labour. Yet again, Roshan Naorem played assister as he swung in a inch-perfect corner. Ibara rose the highest once more to power in a header for his 2nd and the Blues’ 3rd.
It was a similar scene after the break, with BFC creating the majority of chances. Mumbai, however, managed to better their possession of the ball and did engineer opportunities to reduce the arrears.
Talisman Sunil Chhetri came off the bench to replace Ibara and it seemed to slow Bengaluru down just by a bit. After 65 minutes, a low driven Apuia half-volley from outside the box looked to be heading in. But it swerved to the right and came off the inside of the post.
Roshan seemed to be in some discomfort due to a muscle issue and was taken off, Ajith Kumar the replacement. Following regulation time, 5 minutes was added for stoppages. However, the Champions were unable to breach a determined Bengaluru backline.
Up next, Bengaluru FC and ATK Mohun Bagan will face each other at the Fatorda (Saturday). Meanwhile Mumbai City FC take on Kerala Blasters FC at the Tilak Maidan (Sunday).
Follow our Twitter for regular football news and updates.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & Youtube.
