ISL 2017/18: 5 group stage records already broken by Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC has taken Indian football by storm ever since its inception in 2013. Winning both the I-League and the Federation Cup twice in four seasons made the Sunil Chhetri-captained side a big name in India, one which could easily challenge iconic clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers and Dempo. Sandwiched between all these achievements was an AFC Cup final appearance which was a first in Indian football history.

However, many were sceptical about BFC’s decision to make the shift from I-League to ISL. “Would they be able to achieve similar success in the cash-rich league?” – This was a question being asked over and over again.

Albert Roca’s men decided to give the answer in the form of their performance on the pitch. They not only became the first team to qualify for the playoffs but also broke several group stage records to stamp their authority on the tournament.

Let’s take a look at the records that the Blues have already broken:

#1 First team to defeat every opponent

Chhetri and company have collected three points at least once against every other ISL club during the course of the group stage matches in the fourth edition of the league. That means out of their 12 victories, nine have come against different oppositions. None of the other ISL clubs have been able to achieve this feat in the league phase of the tournament since its inception in 2014.

Kerala Blasters came close to creating this record in 2016 when they defeated six out of their seven opponents in the league stage while Chennaiyin have beaten seven out of their nine opponents in ISL 2017/18 and have a chance to make it 8 if they defeat Mumbai City FC in the last game. However, that won’t be enough for John Gregory's side to break BFC’s record which will at least stand till the next season.

#2 First team to earn 30-plus points

This time the number of teams in ISL has gone up from 8 to 10, which means each club now plays 18 matches in the group stage compared to 14 which were played by each franchise in earlier editions. Having said that, scoring more than 30 points in the league phase is not a matter of joke. If we take into account the previous three seasons, FC Goa had collected 25 points from 14 games in 2015 which was the highest number of points earned by a team in the group phase before ISL 4.

Bengaluru are on 37 points from 17 games and they still have one game in hand to breach the 40-point mark. They have earned 2.18 points per game which is more than what Goa (1.79) managed in their best ISL season.

#3 First team to score 30-plus goals in the league stage

Bengaluru FC’s prowess in the attacking third is reflected in their goal tally for the ongoing season. As many as eight BFC players have found the back of the net at least once which has helped the team hold on to their top spot in the league table.

In its debut season, Bengaluru have already managed to breach the 30-goal mark. To be exact, Roca’s men have found the back of the net on 33 occasions in 17 games which are 5 more than next best FC Pune City who have scored 28 goals in the same number of matches. FC Goa was tantalizingly close to creating this record when they netted 29 times in 14 league stage games in 2015.

#4 Only team which has two players who have scored at least 10 goals each

When you have players like Miku and Sunil Chhetri in your ranks, you can be rest assured that they would share the burden of depositing the ball in the opposition’s net. However, in doing so, these two marksmen have created a unique record for their team.

This is the first time in ISL history that two footballers of the same franchise have scored at least 10 goals each in a season. While Miku has netted 13 goals, Chhetri has taken his tally to 10 after scoring against Jamshedpur FC on Sunday. FC Goa duo Ferran Corominas (15) and Manuel Lanzarote (9) has also been in great form and a goal from the latter can help them equal the feat.

#5 First team to score 20 away goals

Bengaluru FC scored twice against Jamshedpur FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday which took their away goal tally to 20 which is another first in ISL history. The fact that the Blues have won more games on road (7) than at home (5) is largely helped by their goal-scoring acumen in away matches.

These goals have helped them frustrate the fans of the opponents who would have otherwise created more impact on the aforementioned games by getting behind the home team. FC Goa are next on the list with 17 goals from eight games and they still have one away game in hand to match Bengaluru FC.

Edited by Argha Bhattacharya