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What's the story?
Heaving a sigh of relief after their close win against Gokulam Kerala FC, Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca said that the team really needed to buck up and spruce up their game. He stated that ISL champions Chennaiyin FC's ouster from the Super Cup barely 24 hours before their game came as a wake-up call after which he made it clear to his team that they needed to up their game at any cost.
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Bengaluru FC just about managed to edge past Gokulam 2-1 at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar, in turn securing their place in the quarterfinals.
The pressure on the ISL teams was immense especially after Chennaiyin FC's defeat against Aizawl FC in a nail-biting penalty shootout on Saturday.
The heart of the matter
Gokulam went ahead in the first half through Henry Kisekka and lead for almost 70 minutes in Sunday's match. However, just when the prospect of another big ISL team's ouster after Chennaiyin FC was feared, Miku levelled scores after Udanta Singh's well-executed move. Bengaluru FC then went on the secure their berth in the quarterfinals after Udanta himself scored the winning goal four minutes before the match ended.
Roca said that he was happy with his team's victory, despite the fact that they did not play their best. “Chennaiyin's loss (to Aizawl FC) was surely a wake-up call. We got the result that we wanted and now we just have to look forward and move ahead,” he said after the match.
What's next?
After their win against Gokulam Kerala on Sunday, Bengaluru FC have now advanced to the quarterfinals of the Super Cup. They will be meet the winners of Kerala Blasters and NEROCA FC in the next round.
Author's take
The ISL teams seem to be having a bad spell at the Super Cup after Chennaiyin FC saw their way out of the tournament and Bengaluru barely made it through while the I-League teams have been performing really well. It will be interesting to see the big leagues pitted against each other as the Super Cup progresses.
