After the match between the teams that finished runner-up at the ISL and the I-League, it was Sreenidi Deccan football club that had reasons to be pleased. It held the mighty Bengaluru FC to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the Super Cup football tournament here on Saturday.
AS IT HAPPENED: KERALA VS PUNJAB, LIVE ACTION
With just one team qualifying for the semifinal from a group, Bengaluru, the ISL side, will have to come up with a better performance in its two remaining matches in the league stage.
When the Bengaluru men took an early lead, through Javi Hernandez, who found the target after a couple of rebounds off a fine assist from Naorem Roshan Singh, they may have thought that they could take control. The spirited players of Sreenidi, however, did not allow that.
Not merely they equalised after 11 minutes, through Faysal Shayesteh, but continued to put pressure on their fancied rival. It was Bengaluru that enjoyed more of the possession in the opening half but it was let down by poor finishing.
Towards the end of the game, Sunil Chhetri missed a chance from near the goal. It wasn’t a good day for him; he had an opportunity as early as the eighth minute of the match.
Later, Kerala Blasters, playing in its home State, opened its campaign with a 3-1 victory against RoundGlass Punjab, the I-League champion. Dimitrios Diamantakos opened the scoring late into the first half, from the penalty spot, for Blasters. In the second half, goals by Nishu Kumar and K.P. Rahul ensured three points for the Kerala team, while Krishnananda Singh pulled one back for RoundGlass.
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