ISL 2020-21, BFC vs NEUFC highlights: Machado brace gives NorthEast United 2-2 draw vs Bengaluru

ISL 2020-21, NEUFC vs BFC: Luis Machado's brace helped NorthEast United FC earn a 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao.

Updated : Dec 08, 2020 23:16 IST

Both Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United players after the 2-2 draw in the ISL.
Both Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United players after the 2-2 draw in the ISL.
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Both Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United players after the 2-2 draw in the ISL.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's blog of the Bengaluru FC vs NorthEast United FC match.

That's the end of today's coverage in the ISL. Tomorrow will be a key game for Chennaiyin FC when it takes on an in-form Mumbai City FC. ( PREVIEW ) Match report of BFC vs NEUFC and talking points will be live soon on here. Keep an eye out for them. Until then, it's good night.

 

ISL 2020-21 points table

Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 here. Click here

Carles Cuadrat " We were trying our best to get the three points. But the last goal was not possible. [Best performance this season?] I think so. The guys are getting fit and ready. It's a step-by-step process. We spent 2 hours to get to the stadium because of some problems on the road. We are doing our best in this bubble situation so is the ISL. [On returning to attacking form of 2018-19?] It's question of moments and confidence of the players. The guys are working anf doing well. Sometimes you score and you have a good dynamic. Hope next game we get our strikers to get scoring.

Gerard Nus " We wanted to get the three points. The way the game went I can take this point as a positive. Last game was three days ago. 21 players took their chances so I am proud of the team. [On subs] To be honest we have always have the ideas of Plan A, B and C and also what happens in the game. We need to prevent the injuries as well so need this kind of rotation in the team. Players are doing well on the training as wel. [On goals] As far as the ball goes in... These goals are something we worked on."

Post match quotes from both the coaches coming up...

 

Full time whistle is blown. A tantalising end-to-end football match ends all square. Both teams remain unbeaten. BFC came up with a better attacking display but this NEUFC unit is a tough nut! NEUFC, however, will feel it could have done better for the Udanta goal. Machado capped off a lively display on the left flank with two goals, the second one to level the scores for NEUFC.

90' +3' From a throw in, the ball is swung into the box and Paartalu gets it on target but Gurmeet is on the line to catch it.

90' +1' Ashutosh denies Chhetri the opportunity to cut in to score.

Four minutes of added time.

89' Yellow card for Britto for leaving his foot on Juanan. It looked a dangerous challenge from Juanan too. Crucially Juanan intercepted a chance for NEUFC to get on a 3-vs-1 counte attack chance.

88' BFC SUB: Semboi ON, Bheke OFF

87' Long ball into the BFC box. Sylla lays the ball off to the right before moving into the six yard area. Meetei puts in a low cross which Sylla sidefoots on goal but Paartalu makes a diving block!

85' Chhetri gets his free-kick over the ball but he can't keep it from going over the bar.

84' Freekick right on the edge of the box for BFC after Ninthoi catches the leg of Dimas.

83' Gurmeet is booked now by the referee for taking too much time to take the goal kick.

81' Dimas to Gonzalez, who makes a late run to meet the ball on the far post and that ensues a ping ball inside the box. BFC can't get the ball into the net somehow and NUEFC somehow manage to keep the ball from going into the net.

80' Ninthoi Meetei is booked for a tackle on Ashique. Freekick from a dangerous position for BFC.

78' GOAL! It's Machado again! 2-2! This NEUFC team will not give up. Sylla with a flick on and Machado has too much pace to get behind Juanan, who can't time his tackle well. Machado composes himself inside the box and slots it past Gurpreet into the bottom corner of the net.

75' BFC SUB: Gonzalez ON, Silva OFF. The referee also calls for a water break

73' Camara is booked by the referee for a foul.

72' NEUFC SUBS: Suhair, Gurjinder OFF; Britto PM, Lakra ON

70' GOAL! BFC 2-1 NEUFC! Udanta puts BFC in the lead, his goal since October 28 last year. Defensive error costs NEUFC. Chhetri nods down a long ball with his header across the face of the goal which is not dealt with the NEUFC defenders. Fox lets it roll out for goalkick unaware Udanta was running into meet. Udanta's first time shot gets a touch of Gurmeet but he can't stop it from creeping into the net.

68' The referee has a word with Carles on the touchline. Carles seems upset about a decision which went against his team.

64' Stunning save! Ball into the box and Opseth's shot is saved with a reflex one-handed save from Gurmeet. BFC is on the ascendancy here and NEUFC is pinned into its own half.

BFC SUB: Udanta ON, Suresh OFF

62' Khabra with a cross into the box which Dimas runs in behind Opseth to meet the header which Gurmeet saves! Superb from DImas. He played the cross field pass for Khabra to the right before making the run into the box.

60' NEUFC SUB: Appiah OFF, Sylla ON

59' Foul for BFC near the centre circle.

55' Feisty duel brewing down on the NEUFC right flank between Ashique and Meetei. Both the players aren't giving the other and inch. Meetei gets one back on Ashique with a tackle to take the ball off his feet.

51' Suhair swings in a cross into the box and Appiah meets it with his header which was heading in towards the goal but Gurpreet pulls off a stunning save to keep it out.

50' NEUFC SUBS: Meeti, Lalengmawia ON; Rochharzela, Fanai OFF

48' Ashique's cross from the left is blocked and goes behind for a corner.

47' Gurmeet plays a poor pass straight to the feet of Silva, but he can't get the shot on target. He was under pressure from the NEUFC defender and couldn't set himself up on his stronger foot.

46' NorthEast kicks off the second half. BFC SUB: Opseth ON, Brown OFF

SECOND HALF

HALF-TIME. An enthralling first half comes to an end. A fast start resulted in a goal, albeit with some good fortune for NEUFC. But BFC struck back within 10 minutes through (take a guess?) a throw in routine which NEUFC struggled to deal with. Juanan took advantage and levelled the scores. BFC has enjoyed most of the possession but its most threating moments have been through set pieces and Ashique's direct running down the left side. Winger Machado has looked lively for NEUFC down the left channel.

45'+2' Dimas' corner is met by Juanan at the near post and the ball flies close the near post top corner.

Three minutes of added time.

44' Machado plays the ball into the box for Rochharzela, whose cut back into the box is cleared away by Juanan. Machado wins the free-kick on the left side and he tests Gurpreet with a direct effort on goal. The BFC 'keeper punches it away.

42' Chhetri makes a run from the edge of the box to the penalty to meet the Dimas corner but Camara gets a crucial interception and smashes it behind for another corner.

41' Ashutosh tracks Ashique's run to put the ball behind for a corner.

40' Bengaluru dominating possession in the last 5 minutes. Chhetri works the ball down the left and hooks in a dangerous cross into the box from which Dimas' shot goes wide.

37' Chhetri with a bicyle volley from the edge of the box but his shot goes wide after a training ground free-kick routine.

36' Gurjinder is booked for leaving his boot on Khabra down the right flank.

34' Ashique steals the ball off Camara and plays in Brown on the left to beat the offside trap but the assistant raises his flag. Replay shows Brown was level with his man.

The NEUFC goal has been credited to Machado since he got the final touch on the ball.

32' Play resumes and Rochharzela immediately goes into the referee's book for a poor challenge on Ashique.

The ref calls for a water break.

30' A flighted cross from Machado into the box and Dylan Fox looks to evade Khabra to meet the ball on the dive but can't get on the end of it.

29' Juanan goes through Suhair and cleans him out. Foul called and the Spaniard is not happy. No yellow card though.

26' From a throw in down the left, Ashqiue runs down the byline and cuts it back into the penalty area where the ball finds the feet of Khabra. He opts to control it and take shot with his left foot and ends up putting it away from goal. Lucky escape for NEUFC.

23' Referee stops play as Juanan has a cut on his eye. He needs to leave the pitch to get patched up.

End-to-end football at the moment.

19' Ashique with a superb run from inside his own half. He runs to the edge of the box and unleashes a low shot which takes a finger-tip save by Gurmeet to keep the ball from going in.

17' Diagonal pass to Machado now and he dribbles past two men on the left before firing in a cross which Gurpreet does well to catch it on the dive.

16' Appiah evades bodies through the middle before feeding Machado on the left. The winger cuts in and looks to curl it into the top corner but he can't keep it down on target.

13' But he can afford to cheer up a little now. GOAL! Set-piece and Bengaluru scores! 1-1! A long thrown in is not dealt with by NEUFC defenders inside the six yard box and Juanan smashes the loose ball into the net! His second goal of the season.

Camera pans to Gurpreet and he doesn't look pleased.

9' Ashique gets past his marker on the left side but his cross is overhit.

7' Brown is played down the left channel for a 3 vs 4 opportunity on the break but Lambot tarcks his run to cut out his cross.

6' Freekick on the right side for NEUFC. Chhetri with a foul on Rocharzella. Gurpreet comes out to punch the ball away.

4' GOAL! How about that?! Rochharzela cuts in from the right and it takes a big deflection off Machado and loops into the net! The ball was first defected off Juanan's foot before taking a big touch off Machado's back. Gurpreet was flatfooted by the change in trajectory of the ball.

3' Both teams squander opportunities with the final ball. Appiah wrestles Dimas off the ball before his run gets cut off by Khabra.

1' Bengaluru kicks off from left to right.

7.26 pm: Both teams are out in the middle. NEUFC line-up in its white away kits. Bengaluru is the designated home team for this game.

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Sunil Chhetri has three goals against NorthEast United, the most for a player among both sides. - ISL/Sportzpics
 

7.10 pm: Nus, as expected, has made plenty of changes. Four of them. Lalengmawia, Meetei, Sylla and Shereef -OUT. VP Suhair, Rochharzela, Lalrempuia Fanai and Fox- IN.

7.05 pm: Carles Cuadrat has named an unchanged Bengaluru XI from the win against Chennaiyin. He has again preferred Brown's pace to get behind a solid NEUFC defence.

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Bheke made his first start of the season in the 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC. Both Bheke and Khabra will have their tasks cut out trying to lock down the Bengaluru right side against Luis Machado tonight. - ISL/Sportzpics
 

6.30 pm: Line-ups are out...

Bengaluru FC XI (4-3-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Harmanjot Khabra, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Ashique Kuruniyan; Udanta Singh, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Suresh Wangjam; Cleiton Silva, Deshorn Brown, Sunil Chhetri

NorthEast United FC XI (4-2-3-1)

Gurmeet Singh; Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar; Khassa Camara, Lalrempuia Fanai; Suhair VP, Rochharzela, Kwesi Appiah, Luis Machado

6 .25 pm: Team news coming up...

WhatsApp-Image-2020-12-08-at-60712-PM-1jpeg
NEUFC head coach Gerard Nus will be expected to ring in the changes for the match against Bengaluru. In the match against Goa, he made five changes to the starting XI and still held the defending League winner's to a 1-1 draw. - ISL/Sportzpics

Bengaluru FC predicted XI (4-3-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Harmanjot Khabra, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Ashique Kuruniyan; Udanta Singh, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Suresh Wangjam; Cleiton Silva, Kristian Opseth, Sunil Chhetri

NorthEast United FC predicted XI (4-3-3)

Subhasish Roy Chowdhury; Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar; Lalengmawia, Khassa Camara, Lalrempuia Fanai; Ninthoinganba Meetei, Kwesi Appiah, Luis Machado

 

PREVIEW

Fresh off its maiden win this ISL campaign, against Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC will look to keep up the momentum when it takes on NorthEast United FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday.

BFC is unbeaten in the league so far and is fifth in the table with five points from three games. But NorthEast is also yet to taste defeat, and is a rung above on eight points, having played a match more.

“It's going to be a very tactical match because they are a very well-organised team,” BFC boss Carles Cuadrat said. “NorthEast are very compact in defence and wait for opportunities to attack.”

“But we are a very consistent team with a clear plan. It’s very difficult to play against us. At the same time, we know that we have room for improvement and that is what we are trying to do,” Cuadrat added.

Shades of this were visible against Chennaiyin, where BFC showed greater purpose in driving forward from the get-go. Much of this had to do with midfielder Dimas Delgado starting his first match of the season. The BFC camp will hope for this to continue and result in the team’s first goal from open play this edition.

Up top, Cleiton Silva seems to have done enough to sew up one of the forward positions, but the role of his partner is up for grabs, with Deshorn Brown, Udanta Singh and Kristian Opseth all in the fray.

NorthEast is a team very much in the same mould as BFC – strong defensively and looking to hit on the counter. The centre-back pairing of Benjamin Lambot and Dylan Fox has been solid and the side has thus far drawn against FC Goa and Kerala Blasters, handed Sergio Lobera his only defeat as Mumbai City FC manager and beaten Robbie Fowler’s SC East Bengal.

“We try in many ways to be dangerous for the opponent, whether it is counter-attack, positional play, from set-pieces or other ways,” explained NorthEast coach Gerard Nus. “We try to be unpredictable."

“[But] the principles of our style will not change because we believe in them. Of course, we also take into consideration the opponent. Bengaluru is really strong in set-pieces. So we are going to be prepared in the best way possible.”

NorthEast has never beaten BFC in the league stage and Tuesday may be a good time to do so.

ISL 2020-21 points table

Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 here. Click here

The Indian Super League (ISL 2020-21) will mark the return of major league competition in India after the nationwide lockdown to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak was first imposed in March.

The seventh edition of the ISL got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.

The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following SC East Bengal's inclusion, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.

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