(Football news) Bengaluru occasionally struggled to gain momentum going forward after their victory in the second season of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), which they had just completed. They were strong at the back, though, and that in a way forced Stellenbosch to forward quickly. The South African team’s No. 10 Antonio Wan Vyk scored the game’s first goal with an incredible strike in the 13th minute, capping off a successful end for them.

The fact that both teams’ respective defences constantly prevented the forwards of the opposing team from getting past them was an intriguing aspect shared by both teams. Instead, the backlines were adamant about developing offensive moves while maintaining their composure.

They were able to pass and move the ball around as a result, but the first half of the game seemed to be devoid of any obvious chances to score goals. In the second essay of the contest, both teams came together with rekindled vigour and enthusiasm.

The Blues were briefly forced to change their tactics and game plan as a result of Stellenbosch, in particular, starting to shift a little wide to create chances from the sides. Bengaluru’s lack of speed presented an opportunity for them to encircle the Stellenbosch defenders. Due of the South African team’s ability to regain possession farther up the field, Bengaluru was unable to mount a successful offensive effort in the game’s final 35 minutes.

“I am very impressed with Bengaluru FC. The coach has them playing in possession-based football. They are patient in possession, find nice pockets, so they did give us problems, they moved us around. But, you know, they are on the right track and I am really impressed with the processes overall, it’s really good,” Stellenbosch FC coach Evangelos Vellios said after the game.

On the other hand, Bengaluru FC tactician Kaizad Ambapardiwalla regretted his team’s misses to find the goal, “Their players have good individual skills and they are really good at 1v1. Yes, we could have capitalised our chances in goal, but it was a good game. It’s important to finish off chances because possession does not give you three points. You need to score for that. So, scoring is the most important. One can keep the ball possession for 90 minutes, it is only when we do that and go forward scoring off our chances when we can win three points.”

On Saturday, May 20, at RCP, Stellenbosch FC and Bengaluru FC will play ATK Mohun Bagan FC and West Ham United FC, respectively.

Brief Scores

Stellenbosch FC 1 (Antonio Wan Vyk 13’) – 0 Bengaluru FC

Also read: In a closely contested match, West Ham United FC and ATK Mohun both earned points