I-League champions Bengaluru end season on a high

PTI Goa Bureau

Margao, Apr 28 (PTI) Super sub Beikhokhei Beingaichho
scored in stoppage time today to give Bengaluru FC a 2-1
victory over Sporting Clube de Goa and end their dream
I-League season where they emerged champions on debut.
      After Boima Karpeh (42nd) put Sporting Clube de Goa in
the lead, Bengaluru fought back in the second half and
equalised through Robin Singh in the 59th minute before
substitute Beingaichho scored the winner in stoppage time to
take the champions' tally to 47 points from 24 matches. They
earned a cash prize of Rs.70 lakhs besides the winners trophy.
       East Bengal who beat United today, finished second in
the standings with 43 points and Rs.40 lakhs for their
efforts.
       Salgaocar, who lost to Churchill Brothers today,
finished third with 38 points and Rs.25 lakhs in prize money.
       Sporting Clube de Goa, who are satisfied after
finishing among the top five, showed promise at the start as
they moved the ball among themselves with Kalu Ogba
orchestrated the moves from the middle and finally breaking
the deadlock in the 42nd minute.
       Bengaluru, who clinched the I-League title with a match
in hand, lacked the thrust upfront without Sean Rooney. John
Menyongar who kept the attack going in the previous match too
was not playing and they struggled to dictate terms in the
midfield, relying mostly on counter moves. Sporting led 1-0 at
half time.
       After the change of ends, Sporting tried to retreat
into its own half with Bengaluru trying to find the equaliser.
They were cheered by their fans who came all the way from
Bangalore. The equaliser was found in the 59th minute when
John Johnson gave a pass to Robin Singh who sprinted down and
after getting past a rival defender, shot home from close.
      With both the teams heading for a draw, Beingaichho
scored with a low header off a cross from Keegan Pereira to
give Bengaluru FC full points. 

Bengaluru FC set sight on AFC Champions League qualification

B D Narayankar reports
   
Bangalore, Apr 23 (PTI) Having won the I-League crown in
their debut season, Bengaluru Football Club have now set their
sights on becoming the first Indian club to qualify for the
prestigious AFC Champions League.
     India gets a play-off slot for the AFC Champions League
and I-League champions Bengaluru FC will have a chance to have
a shot at taking part in the continent's top-flight club
tournament.
     Last year Pune FC lost in the first of the three-round
play-off competition.
     "We want to continue to dream big and want to be the
first Indian Club to ever qualify for the AFC Champions
League," BFC CEO Parth Jindal told reporters when asked about
the future aim of his club.
     Jindal said the club's another target is to try and
retain the trophy next year also.
     "Once we have won this (I-League), we are not going to
let it go very easily, and in order to do that we will have to
improve; we will have to get some new players in; we will have
to reshuffle some of the things because football is a very
ruthless game and if you stand still somebody is going to run
past you," he said.
     On Indian Super League (ISL) which is scheduled to be
held in September-October, Jindal said "it caters to different
market and wish good luck to them".
     Jindal said that the three-year relegation safety for his
team granted by the AIFF gave a great degree of comfort as the
level of investment was not small.
     Replying to a query, Jindal said credit would go to the
backroom staff including Heal Institute of Mumbai for keeping
players fit and injury-free.
     "A couple of players did get seriously injured and were
flown to Mumbai to go through preventive care and some sort of
minor surgeries. Even if the players were injured, they made
it sure the recovery was quick," he said.
     Jindal said his company would set up a residential
football academy in Vijaynagar, for which the ground is being
constructed and prepared.
     "Hopefully it will be a full-time residential academy,
not only for Bangalore but also for entire country," Jindal
said.
     Captain Sunil Chettri said criticism from people that he
has not played well for clubs motivated him do better.
     "Whenever people say I have played well for the country
than for the club - just makes me more hungry to do well," he
said.
     "It doesn't matter what people say I just want to do what
I can do on the field to my best of abilities. It wouldn't
change when I wasn't scoring and wouldn't change when I am
scoring now."
     Head Coach Ashley Westwood said the training sessions
were no different than what he had in England back home.
     "We did not try to make any difference. We came here
without a system and the lads adopted to that quickly ... and
that is reason we have been quite successful," he said.
     Talking about his journey which had begun last September,
Westwood said, "Obviously, to a win a league is never going to
be easy. So, there were lots of difficulties along the way."
     "Our main difficulty was opposition coming to our ground
and we going to theirs - that demands an extra 10 or 15 per
cent of an effort," he said.
     Replying to a query, Westwood said the toughest
opposition were East Bengal.
     On the standard of referees, Westwood said he had not
commented on them as long as they committed an honest mistake.
     "They try to do their best for the game. You can't
criticise somebody who make honest mistake. That is a part and
parcel of football," he said.