Kalinga Super Cup: Inter Kashi and Bengaluru FC settle for draw in inconsequential match

Both teams had been knocked out of the competition and the result meant they registered their first points on the board.

FILE: BFC’s Francisco Javier Hernandez Gonzalez (10) in action. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu

Bengaluru FC and Inter Kashi played out a 1-1 draw in their inconsequential Group D match in the Super Cup here on Monday.

Both teams had been knocked out of the competition and the result meant they registered their first points on the board.

A game with no real returns for either team -- other than the opportunity to end the tournament on a high -- predictably started off at a sedate pace, with both sides trading possession in midfield but unable to find composure in the final third.

The texture of the contest was changed by a moment of pure brilliance by Kashi’s Edmund Lalrindika in the 15th minute.

The midfielder, on loan from Bengaluru FC, picked up the ball on the left of the box, turned, twisted and cut past three defenders before curling a finish to the far post, beyond Sahil’s desperate dive.

Bengaluru could have had an equaliser almost immediately, had Javi Hernandez and Halicharan Narzary showed more composure at the other end of the pitch. The former was guilty of looping a header high and the latter of blasting wide from a tight angle soon after.

Sahil kept Bengaluru in the game, saving smartly from a close-range attempt in the 22nd minute, and 10 minutes later Bengaluru almost had their equaliser. Ashish Jha conjured up almost an exact replica of Kashi’s goal, only to shoot off target.

Bengaluru’s search for restoring parity picked up pace in the second half, with Hernandez, Roshan Singh and Jha all coming close once again.

In the 58th minute, Bengaluru finally drew level, thanks to a penalty, coolly slammed in by Hernandez.

Despite a number of chances, neither team could find the winner in the final quarter of the game.