Bengaluru FC 2-1 East Bengal Highlights: Sunil Chhetri, Javi Hernandez score as BFC beats EBFC in ISL 2023-24

Javi Hernandez’s overhead strike proves to be the difference as Bengaluru FC beats East Bengal at home. Carles Cuadrat’s former side humbles EBFC, securing its first ISL win this season.

East Bengal gets a free-kick outside the penalty box. Pardo steps up to take the free-kick and shoots with his right foot. However, the ball whizzes past the target.

East Bengal starts an attack along the right flank. Vishnnu makes a run behind the defence and tries to receve the ball from an overlapping run. However, the linesman raises the flag to end the development and give an offside decision against EBFC.

Williams carries the ball into the bakk into the midfield as Chhetri runs in for cover. East Bengal’s defence tracks back on time, forcing BFC ot slow its attack down and eventually clears the ball away.

Souvik Chakraborty, the former captain of East Bengal, has taken the field, as he tries to pull strings in the midfield, looking for an equaliser.

East Bengal has started marking Javi as he continues to ask questions in the final third. EBFC, despite coming close to scoring twice, has failed to convert.

East Bengal attacks on the counter with a run along the left flank, but the cross is cleared by Bengaluru FC. Simon Grayson’s boys have been denied a win in ISL this season. That might change tonight.

Javi Hernandez gets the ball from a header by Chhetri. He receives the ball with his right foot and then shoots with his left in a bicycle kick. And East Bengal trails for the first time in this game.

Chhetri gets the ball along the right side of the midfield but he is pushed by Lalchungnunga. The referee, however, does not give a foul.

In: Jovanovic, Danu, Out: Main, Parag

Khabra makes a run, remaining completey unmarked, as Borja crosses for the former KBFC man from the left. However, his delay to head the ball sees another chance go begging for the men in red-and-gold.

Cleiton Silva takes the free-kick, which is on target but lack of force sees Gurpreet easily get his gloves to the ball.

East Bengal gets a corner kick, which is eventually cleared by Bengaluru FC, in what looked like a clear hand-ball. But the referee has ruled play on and Cleiton is fouled to see EBFC get a free-kick just outside the penalty box.

Bengaluru FC tries to find an exploit any space in the East Bengal defence, which has six men stationed at the back. A compact low-block forces Williams to go for goal from distance. He beats Pardo and shoots just off-target.

Naorem carries the ball along the right flank and whips in a low cross to the centre. Cleiton misses it and Nandha shoots just off-target. Cuadrat looks to the sky as his side struggles to score despite coming close to finding the net on multiple occassions.

Bengaluru FC sees a chance to find the lead as Javi Hernandez gets the ball in the box but agains, the EBFC defenders gets the better of him to clear the ball and start a counter-attack.

Sunil Chhetri starts the counter attack, minutes later. He passes to his left for Rohit, whi fails to take control of the ball and fives East Bengal a throw-in.

East Bengal tries the long-ball approach as Khabra delivers a diagonal ball from the right to Nandha on the left. He cuts to his right and tries a cross to Mahesh. Though the ball reaches his intended target, BFC steals the ball immediately to nip that attack in the bud.

Mahesh takes the free-kick, aiming for Nandha, but it reaches Lalchungnuga. His header, first blocked, returns to him as he tries to hit on the volley. However, the ball goes off-target.

Nishu Kumar tries to get the ball to Khabra in the midfield but Harsh tries to intercept and ends up giving EBFC a free-kick.

Bengaluru FC, initially looking to go with a three-man defence has shifted to a four-man back-line as it looks to mitigate the attacks by Cuadrat in the final third.

Bengaluru gets the second half started as the Blues look for its first win in the ISL 2023-24 season. Sunil Chhetri, playing his first ISL game this season, has already helped the side get to level terms with a strike from the spot.

A goal from Naorem Mahesh and Sunil Chhetri from either side keeps the score level at the break. Though East Bengal has had more chances from open play, none of them have really troubled Gurpreet Sandhu at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Chhetri received Bhutia’s clearance and gets running up the pitch. Mahesh stops him with a clear push, which earns him a booking as he acknowledges the challenge against his compatriot.

Borja and Cleiton try to combine along the right, after receiving a through ball from Saul Crespo. However, BFC clears it for a corner kick, which is eventually cleared by Bhutia.

East Bengal’s basic difference from its last season has been the quick transition from attack to defence as BFC finds it tough to break the team in open play.

Bengaluru is looking to penalise East Bengal for maintaining a high line. Javi gets a long ball to his left for Williams, who tries to reach to the ball, but the ball rolls out of play for an EBFC goal kick.

Nishu Kumar tries to win the ball from Ryan Williams but ends up pushing the winger off the field. The referee reaches into his pocket to book him.

Bengaluru tries an attack along the right flank. Bhutia whips in a wide ball for Javi in the centre. But Pardo follows the Spaniard to deny any chance to attack.

As match resumes, it is East Bengal, which tries to get the ball in front, with Borja making a run along the right flank. He is ruled off-side but Cleiton comes close to scoring, second later, as the ball rills past the woodwork to the relief of Gurpreet.

After 30 minutes of end-to-end play, the match pauses for a couple of minutes as BFC narrowly escapes a goal from a set-piece.

Pardo takes a free-kick from outside the box, which is saved by Gurpreet but Nadha guides the ball into the net. However, the linesman rules the goal out as Nandha was in an off-side position before the free-kick.

Bengaluru FC’s corner kick is cleared and, as Javi loses the ball, East Bengal tries to attack on the counter and the pass from Mahesh is stopped by Bengaluru FC. And that ends another attack by Cuadrat’s current side.

East Bengal is marking Curtis really well and that is giving Chhetri a lot of space to make dummy runs behind the defence. He gets the ball in the midfield and threads it to his right for a set-piece routine. However, he overhits the ball, which goes out of play for an EB goal-kick.

Sunil Chhetri steps up for the penalty, and calmly buries the ball at the back of the net. Prabhsukhan Gill jumps to the correct side but fails to match the pace of the shot.

Mandar tries to get the ball off Sunil Chhetri and the box and ends up fouling the Indian captain and the referee points to the spot right away.

A high-press by East Bengal continues to keep the Kolkata-based side on the front-foot. Carles Cuadrat, the man who helped BFC win an ISL title, is not looking to weave magic with East Bengal.

Nandha gets the ball up the pitch and finds Mahesh with a clinical pass. Damjanovic fails to spot the run and Mahesh beats Rohit to then shoot past the goalkeeper, giving EB the lead.

Borja starts a run from the midfield, with an aim to dribble past the blue wall in the mid-block. Rohit, however, gets him, and pulls him down for an EB free-kick. However, the referee keeps his cards in his pocket.

East Bengal tries an overlap along the left, with Nandhakumar and Mandar combining. However, the ball finally overruns Mnadar to go out of play for a BFC throw-in.

Borja takes the corner kick, which is overshot and the ball goes out for a goal kick. BFC immediately starts an attack on the counter, with Sunil Chhetri making a forward run. Lalchungnunga tries to stop him and Chhetri goes down in the box, appealing for a penalty. The referee, however, is not interested.

Ravi Kumar, along with two blue shirts at the back, is maintaining a three-man defence and Mahesh sniffs the space to get a through ball in for Cleiton, who earns a corner kick after a run along the right flank.

Chhetri makes a run in the middle, gets the ball from a long ball from the defence. However, the Indian captain is caught in the off-side trap.

BFC’s high-press catches East Bengal napping with Sunil Chhetri getting a pass from Curtis on the right. He crosses to Javi, who sets up Ravi Kumar in frotnt of the EBFC goal. However, Lalchungnunga makes a timely block to deny a certain chance for the Blues to draw first blood.

Bengaluru FC tries an attack with a low cross for Curtis in the penalty box. the forward tries to flick it past the EBFC defence but East Bengal clears it out of danger.

East Bengal tries to make another attacking attempt, with Naorem Mahesh trying to shoot from inside the box. But Bengaluru FC makes another block to keep the scores 0-0.

East Bengal gets the ball rolling in the first half, with Nandhakumar getting the ball up the pitch. He tries to deliver a cross but is blocked by Bengaluru FC.

Cleiton Silva and Sunil Chhetri, the captain of East Bengal and Bengaluru FC, exchange the badges as the teams take their positions for kick-off.

Two key players, one for either side, start in their first game after returning from national duty in the Asian Games. Sunil Chhetri, the captain of BFC and the Indian national team and Lalchungnunga, the centre-back from East Bengal, make their first start in ISL 2023-24.

East Bengal will look to continue its winning momentum when its coach Carles Cuadrat gears up to face his former side, Bengaluru FC, in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.

The red-and-gold brigade rode on a free-kick goal by Cleiton Silva to find its first win in the league against ISL 2021-22 winner, Hyderabad FC – its first-ever win against the Nizams.

Cuadrat, who won the ISL title with Bengaluru FC – its only title so far – has now shifted allegiance to the Kolkata-based side, which ended as the runner-up in the Durand Cup 2023.

Bengaluru FC, which finished as the runner-up last season, has had an unimpressive start this season.

Playing without its captain Sunil Chhetri – who was with the Indian team at the Asian Games – it has lost both its games, losing to Kerala Blasters and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, respectively.

The two sides have 12 times since 2015, including six times in the ISL. In the ISL as well as overall, East Bengal has the upper hand, winning six matches and drawing one.

In the last season, only two sides had completed a league double over Bengaluru FC – EBFC was one of them.