Bengaluru FC thrashed Indian Air Force FT 4-0 on Tuesday (August 23) to pick up their second win in as many games at the 2022 Durand Cup.
The Blues went ahead inside the opening 10 minutes after Roy Krishna rifled a shot into the bottom corner from Aleksandar Jovanovic's lofted pass. They were up by two in the 23rd minute when Sunil Chhetri's anticipation saw him force a shot home via a massive deflection from Tombing Guiziam.
Indian Air Force improved defensively in the second half but couldn't really trouble their opponents going forward. Bengaluru got their third goal in the 71st minute as substitute Faisal Ali converted from Udanta Singh's cross.
Another substitute, Sivasakthi Narayan, added to an already emphatic scoreline by rounding the goalkeeper and scoring from Suresh Singh Wangjam's pass.
Here are the player ratings for Bengaluru FC from their 2022 Durand Cup clash against Indian Air Force FT:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 6.5/10
Sandhu was forced into a good save in the first half but endured a comfortable outing otherwise and was excellent with his feet.
Namgyal Bhutia - 6/10
Bhutia put in a decent shift but could have contributed more going forward for Bengaluru.
Wungngayam Muirang - 6.5/10
Muirang was comfortable as the left-sided centre-back in a defensive trio for the opening 45 minutes and as part of a four-man backline as well. He provided solid cover whenever Bhutia joined the attack.
Aleksandar Jovanovic - 7/10
Jovanovic struggled on a couple of occasions against the Air Force's pacy forwards but looked composed otherwise in a solid display. The centre-back also got the assist for Krishna's goal with a brilliant ball over the top.
Sandesh Jhingan - 7/10
Jhingan was largely untroubled by a toothless Indian Air Force attack and was tidy with his passing before being substituted at half-time.
Prabir Das - 7/10
Das played a key role in Chhetri's goal with a deflected cross and also sent a couple more dangerous balls into the box. He also saw a shot saved by the goalkeeper in a solid display but looked tired in the final 10 minutes.
Rohit Kumar - 7.5/10
Kumar put in a brilliant display in midfield for Bengaluru. His ball retention was fantastic and his turns and marauding runs forward were real show-stoppers. Kumar oozed class throughout the match and is sure to have left a mark on Grayson with a dazzling performance.
Bruno Ramires - 7/10
Ramires did his job in holding midfield to perfection, which allowed Kumar and Wangjam to perform to their optimal capacities.
Suresh Singh Wangjam - 8/10
Wangjam initially struggled in a more advanced role, with his end product suffering. However, he was fantastic in the second half. The midfielder's perseverance to keep the ball in and find Udanta Singh resulted in Ali's goal and he then got the assist for Narayan's strike as well.
It was an all-action display from Bengaluru's midfield maestro.
Sunil Chhetri - 7/10
Chhetri's anticipation and shrewdness brought him a goal, though it could still go down as an own goal. He once again linked up well with Krishna and kept the Indian Air Force defense on their toes.
Roy Krishna - 7/10
Krishna took his goal brilliantly, slotting home from an inch-perfect Jovanovic pass. He worked well with Chhetri and Prabir Das but looked a little knackered in the second half and was substituted.
Substitutes
Udanta Singh - 7/10
Udanta Singh was a live-wire on the right flank and got the assist for Ali's goal with a pinpoint ball across the box.
Alan Costa - 7/10
Costa was barely troubled by the Air Force attack and ensured Bengaluru left the game with a clean sheet.
Parag Shrivas - 7/10
Shrivas added more height to the Bengaluru defense to thwart any hopes of an Air Force comeback.
Faisal Ali - 7.5/10
Ali was excellent during his 22 minutes on the pitch. He initially forced a good save from the goalkeeper before making sure he was in the right place at the right time to rifle Udanta Singh's cross into an empty net.
Sivasakthi Narayan - 7.5/10
Narayan missed a chance to score just a few minutes after coming on as the Air Force keeper pulled off a good save. However, he was not to be denied a second time. Narayan timed his run perfectly to latch onto Wangjam's pass before dribbling past the keeper and firing into an empty net in injury time.