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Bengaluru took a slender 1-0 lead to their fortress Kanteerava Stadium after overcoming Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on Tuesday, March 7 in the first leg of the Indian Super League semi-final.
A well-taken goal from Sunil Chhetri in the second half proved to be a point of separation after an exhibition of end-to-end attacks from both sides.
Vignesh Dakshinamurthy's shot from a distance after being set up by Ahmed Jahouh failed to hit the target in the seventh minute. The left-back was at the thick of things during the game's early stages once again when he picked out Greg Stewart at the far post with a delicious cross. The Scottish midfielder's header was comfortably parried away by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
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Greg Stewart and Bipin Singh had a pop from distance during the first half, but neither managed to force a save off the Bengaluru FC custodian. The visitors grew into the game and articulated their first chance following an exquisite piece of play between Roy Krishna, Sunil Chhetri, and Javi Hernandez. The Spaniard managed to work Phurba Lachenpa despite aiming from a narrow-angle.
Sunil Chhetri, who was presented with an opportunity in the 70th minute, made amends by hitting the back of the net eight minutes later. The Skipper, who was left unmarked from a corner, timed the header to perfection to drive the visitors to a well-deserved lead.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu would've been a relieved man after Greg Stewart's free-kick missed the top corner by a whisker in the 89th minute. The Islanders' shot-stopper was once again brought into action when the visitors broke away on a counter-attack and the ball fell to Chhetri's legs after Roy Krishna's delicious through ball set him up during stoppage time.
Simon Grayson's side had a glorious chance to head into the second leg with a healthy lead, but it wasn't meant to be when Lachenpa denied Chhetri for the second time in three minutes.
With this victory, Bengaluru FC became the second club in ISL history to win 10 games on the trot after Mumbai City's 11-game winning streak during their league campaign. It will be an interesting match-up when the two sides go head-to-head at the Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday.
However, we shall look at how the 2018 ISL champions fared against the reigning Shield holders during the first leg of ISL semifinal.
Bengaluru FC player ratings
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 9/10: He denied Stewart on a couple of occasions in two halves. Gurpreet kept out a strong effort from the Scot and got his fingertips to Mumbai City's midfielder's free-kick to protect the cleansheet.
Prabir Das - 8.5/10: The right-back held his position defensively and won numerous second balls he contested in. While Prabir was unable to pick out his teammates with crosses, his thumping long-ranger was tipped over the crossbar by Lachenpa.
Bruno Ramires - 8/10: The Brazilian was tasked with keeping the in-form Bipin Singh quiet and he did that with a plum. Bruno thwarted the attacks by intercepting the passes and forcing the opponent's attackers to look for long-rangers as they struggled to break down the defense.
Sandesh Jhingan - 8.5/10: Yet another solid display from the experienced Indian centre-back, who nullified the threat of Jorge Pereyra Diaz. The Argentinian struggled to overcome Sandesh physically and was unable to affect the game.
Aleksandar Jovanovic - 8/10: Jovanovic helped the visitors to play out from the back and completed long passes to exploit Mumbai City FC's backline. Chhangte was prevented from entering the penalty box -- thanks to Aleksandar Jovanovic.
Roshan Singh - 9.5/10: The young full-back's cross to find unmarked Sunil Chhetri in the second half proved to be decisive in the tie. He was running the shoe through the left wing by making daunting runs up and down the field.
Rohit Kumar - 6.5/10: Rohit Kumar was unable to make a mark in the game as he lost possession on several occasions. He found a way to work with Jovanovic to keep Chhangte quiet.
Javi Hernandez - 7/10: Javi Hernandez's link-up play did not come into full effect except one instance - where Sunil Chhetri's delicious dink picked out the Spaniard. However, he was unable to convert from a narrow angle.
Roy Krishna - 7/10: Roy Krishna failed to bring his A-game and did not cause trouble to Mumbai City FC until he tied up Chhetri during the stoppage time. His telepathy with Sivasakthi did not yield Bengaluru FC.
Sivasakthi Narayanan - 6/10: Since Mumbai City FC had most of the possession, Sivasakthi was barely able to get a foothold on the game during the first half. He was eventually substituted for Sunil Chhetri.
Substitutes:
Sunil Chhetri - 9.5/10: Sunil Chhetri added another dimension to the attack by stretching the Islanders' backline. He scored the winning goal to take a vital lead to the Blues' fortress.
Pablo Perez - 7/10: Pablo Perez was unlucky to miss out on an assist after Sunil Chhetri failed to score his second of the game during injury time.
Jayesh Rane - 6.5/10: The midfielder helped Bengaluru initiate counter attacks on numerous occasions during the second half.
Udanta Singh - N/A: He came on during the latter stages of the game to help his side cross the victory line.
