(Football news) After being twice down in normal time to a highly determined Sudeva unit, the Blues successfully defended their title as they maintained composure in a nail-biting shootout. Only the slimmest of margins separated these two highly promising teams in the RFDL championship matchup as the game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes.

In the 17th minute, Seilanthang Lotjem completed a good finish by capitalising on a cross from the right flank to give Sudeva the lead. Lotjem ran through the inner channel to easily accept the pass and take advantage of the opportunity to score the game’s opening goal. He assisted his team in setting up that play from the middle.

Bengaluru didn’t hold back though after that. They started counter-attacking and throwing up numbers in front right away, which led to Sudeva giving the Blues a penalty kick. As both teams entered halftime with the game evenly poised, their ace midfielder Huidrom Thoi Singh made quick work of tying the score.

Sudeva began the second essay by progressively recovering control of the situation. They maintained composure when in control and forced Bengaluru to fight hard to recover possession in the middle of the pitch. In the 48th minute, Sudeva midfielder Daniel Gurung made a fast move to go on the end of a long ball from the backline and beat Bengaluru keeper Sharon.

The Blues once more had to exert a lot of effort to make up lost distance. With the ball in their hands, they grew more assertive, frequently attempting good passes that would help them turn the game around. 

Their efforts paid off when Satendra Singh Yadav, a replacement striker, came off the bench and scored with a strong shot from the edge of the box to once again tie the game and ultimately force a penalty shootout. At the Reliance Corporate Park, Bengaluru’s captain Sharon executed a fantastic diving move to his right side to stop Sudeva striker Ramesh Chhetri from converting the game-winning penalty kick.

“The quality of the players is really good. So, we knew that whatever happens, we would fight back. Whether we concede or not, it doesn’t matter. Because the players are of really good quality and we knew what our plans were. We played according to our plans and finally got the result that we wanted, so that’s what matters,” Bengaluru FC coach Kaizad Ambapardiwalla reflected on the fighting spirit demonstrated by his team by bouncing back twice to equalise during the match.

“It was a great journey and especially for Sudeva to be here in our first time in the tournament, hats off to the boys, you know! The young boys got a lot of matches so we have more experience from before. It has been a great platform for the boys to showcase their talent. We have a lot of academy players, who got a chance to play here. So definitely it will help Sudeva and it was a fantastic journey,” Sudeva Delhi FC coach Chencho Dorji spoke about the learning and takeaways for his players from their inspired run in the RFDL.

Brief Scores

Bengaluru FC 2 (4) (Thoi Singh 23’, Satendra Singh Yadav 67’) – 2 (3) (Seilenthang Lotjem 17’, Daniel Gurung 48’) Sudeva Delhi FC

Also read: Manchester United consolidate top 4 place with win over Wolves at Old Trafford