Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca was a relieved man when his goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu dived low to keep out the penalty from Chennaiyin's Jeje Lalpekhlua. The save enabled the Blues to hold onto its lead before clinching the three points in a 3-1 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
"We had good opportunities to score in the second half and manage the game. In the end, it was a completely different half. We took advantage of the red card (Henrique Fonseca Sereno sent off for a second yellow) and the missed penalty. After that, we didn't suffer much in the last 15 minutes of the game," said Roca.
The away side looked like losing the plot in the beginning of the second half when three of its players were cautioned in the space of four minutes.
The Bengaluru players defused Chennaiyin's momentum from there on before Miku scored the crucial second goal in the 63rd minute which effectively sealed the win. "It was an open game but unlike against ATK where Rahul Bheke got sent off, we managed the situation well tonight. It was one of the most difficult games we have played this season. They pushed us till the end," said Roca.
Read: Bengaluru downs Chennaiyin with clinical away display
Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory made no excuse for the fact that his team is playing its first match since January 25. However, he wasn't pleased with the mistakes made on the pitch which resulted in his side's second defeat at home this season. "We didn't make a good start as a team," noted Gregory.
"We made glaring mistakes with all three goals which I don't expect from us, which was frustrating."
The transfer window is open until the 15th of this month for Bengaluru to sign a replacement for Spanish forward Braulio Nebrego, who is out for the rest of the ISL season. "It's not easy. We would like to replace him but most of the transfer markets around the world are closed," explained Roca.
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