Updated Points Table: Bengaluru FC jump to eighth in the ISL 2022-23 standings after win against NorthEast United FC

A late strike from Alan Costa secured a 1-2 victory for Bengaluru FC over NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday, January 6. Although the encounter didn't affect the top half of the table, there were some shifts in the lower half.

With three points, the Blues have now leapfrogged East Bengal to take the eighth spot. However, the Red and Gold Brigade still have two games in hand and are just a point behind.

Bengaluru FC will next face Odisha FC and Jamshedpur FC and will need to gather the full points to have a shot at climbing up the ranks.

The loss hasn't affected the Highlanders' standing in the league. They remain right at the bottom with just three points from 13 matches. Their hopes of making it to the top six are seemingly over and all that remains is to play for pride.

Meanwhile, in Saturday's doubleheader, Jamshedpur FC will square off against Chennaiyin FC, while East Bengal will take on Odisha FC. Both ties could have heavy repercussions in the mid-table rankings.

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Bengaluru FC resilient still lacks quality upfront

The Blues came away with a late victory against NorthEast United FC when Alan Costa headed home a winner in the fourth minute of additional time in the second half.

The game was destined to be settled as a stalemate but Simon Grayson's men showed great resilience to register a comeback victory.

But even on Friday, Bengaluru FC lacked attacking intensity in front of the goal despite scoring two goals. The opening goal came from a brilliant strike by Sivasakthi and by the time the second goal was scored, the match had already evolved into a game of pinball.

Even with the likes of Roy Krishna, Javi Hernandez, and Sunil Chhetri, Bengaluru lacked quality in the final third.