Five years ago, Vinith Venkatesh served as a ballboy during Bengaluru FC’s Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. On Saturday, Venkatesh made indelible memories on the field, scoring a match-winning goal for BFC.
Featuring in his first match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the 19-year-old Venkatesh emerged as the hero in his side’s 1-0 win over East Bengal. The magic moment came in the 25th minute, when an assist from Edgar Mendez found an unmarked Venkatesh inside the box. A good first touch and a low, hard strike to the far post sparked celebration from the home fans.
Senior statesman Sunil Chhetri rushed to celebrate the goal with local lad Venkatesh, who joined the club academy at the age of eight.
The scrappy encounter, with nearly 12,000 spectators in attendance, saw plenty of clumsy and cynical challenges. No less than six players received yellow cards, while EBFC’s Lalchungnunga was sent off for a second booking. Tempers flared at times, forcing referee Crystal John to intervene.
EBFC stayed in the hunt for an equaliser, pressing forward with intent. The visitor’s best chance came late, when substitute Cleiton Silva fired over the crossbar from close range. In the first half, Jeakson Singh tried his luck from long range, but BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh was up to the task.
Mendez, making his BFC debut, nearly got on the scoresheet with a crisp shot which barely missed the target. A few minutes later, Mendez and Venkatesh ensured that BFC started its ISL season on a winning note.
The result: BFC 1 (Vinith Venkatesh 25) bt East Bengal FC 0.
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