If Albert Roca sought an improved performance from his players, he got one. Bengaluru FC cruised to a second win in the ISL on Sunday, brushing Delhi Dynamos aside 4-1 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The towering Erik Paartalu scored twice with his head, both goals the product of set-pieces, before Lenny Rodrigues and 'Miku' Flores found the net.
Kalu Uche scored late penalty for Delhi that took little gloss off what was a fine performance from the home side.
BFC stormed off the blocks, applying early, intense pressure on the visitor. Miku could have scored within a minute of kick-off but his header struck the frame of the goal. The Venezuelan had another opportunity not long after, when his shot from close range was palmed away by a diving Albino Gomes. This was a lively game, with Delhi creating opportunities of its own at the other end, even if Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was not truly tested.
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BFC continued knocking on the door and the opening goal duly arrived midway through the first half. Edu Garcia floated a long, diagonal free-kick to Harmanjot Khabra at the far post. The former East Bengal man nodded the ball across the face of goal, where Paartalu rose high to head home, the strike his first for the club. It seemed like a well-rehearsed set-piece routine; Roca and assistant coach Carles Cuadrat embraced on the sidelines.
BFC doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time. Garcia swung in a corner towards the near post where Paartalu was the target yet again. The Australian made no mistake, scoring his second with a glancing header.
BFC's dominance only grew after the interval, and a third goal was not long in coming. Sunil Chhetri, who was excellent with his link-up play all night, found Udanta Singh with a fine cross-field ball to the right flank. The latter chested the ball down and rushed into the box, where his shot was blocked by Gomes. Rodrigues was on hand, though, to slam the rebound in.
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Delhi pulled one back through Kalu Uche's penalty, when John Johnson was alleged to have handled inside the box. Barely a minute later, Miku scored -- his first for the club -- at the other end, latching on to a long pass over the top from Chhetri to finish without fuss.
Three away games now await BFC; confidence should not be an issue.
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