Chhetri satisfied with Super Cup after dominant season

Before the Super Cup final, the Albert Roca-coached side was in danger of ending the domestic season without any silverware. However, the win against East Bengal on Friday cemented its position as the premier football team in the country.

Bengaluru FC's Miku (left) with skipper Sunil Chhetri.

The numbers will point to the fact that the 2017-18 season was probably the best in Bengaluru FC’s history. Of its 32 matches in all competitions, the Blues registered 24 wins, losing just five.

However, it was the win in the Super Cup final against East Bengal on Friday which cemented its position as the premier football team in the country.

Before the final, the Albert Roca-coached side was in danger of ending the domestic season without any silverware. After a dominant display in the league stages of the Indian Super League, BFC suffered a heartbreak at the hands of Chennaiyin FC in the final. Therefore, this victory was all the more crucial.

The club skipper Sunil Chhetri echoed similar thoughts. “I am really pleased. All season, we have been very dominant, while, playing positive football. It’s satisfying to get a trophy at the end,” said Chhetri.

Bengaluru has successfully maintained a record of having won a trophy in each season since its inception in 2013.

“It’s not guaranteed success, but, we always aspire to win every competition. It just shows in our track record — five trophies in five years. It’s an unbelievable feeling, and we just want to continue it,” said Chhetri, who scored two goals in the decider to finish as the top-scorer in the competition.

Read: East Bengal's goal the turning point in Super Cup final, says Roca

By his own admission, Chhetri had the best season of his career. Since the start of ISL, the 33-year-old has racked up 20 goals — his most prolific in club colours. The striker attributed his fitness as the key reason behind the feat.

“I am very happy that I wasn’t injured. That is the prime focus of a player — to play the whole season. We still have three more important games (AFC Cup) before my national team duties,” he said.

Chhetri, in tandem with Miku, was a nightmare for opposition center-backs this year. The Venezuelan, who himself scored 20 during his first season in the country, stressed on the importance of winning the Super Cup.

“The loss in the ISL was disappointing, despite our dominance in the league stages. The club needed this trophy to prove that we are a good team,” said Miku.

Late goals have proved to be a feature of Bengaluru’s campaign with 22 goals coming between minutes 75-90.

“Our fitness is better than the rest of the sides. This is the reason why we score a lot of late goals,” explained the former Rayo Vallecano striker.