Sunil Chhetri’s last-gasp goal breaks Goan hearts as Bengaluru FC progress to ISL 2024-25 final

PANAJI(Goa): Bengaluru FC qualified for a record fourth final of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Sunday after a 3-2 aggregate win against FC Goa in the semi-final, as per the ISL press release.

Though the Blues lost the second leg at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda by 2-1 here, their 2-0 win from the first game of this fixture earlier this week ensured that they entered the summit clash, with Sunil Chhetri starring courtesy of a decisive goal in the added time of the second half.

The Gaurs looked to set the tone of this game from the onset, with Boris Singh hammering a shot from distance way too high to the target in the seventh minute. In the very next move, Udanta Singh supplied a precise pass to Iker Guarrotxena inside the 18-yard box, which the attacker kicked high and wide to the left. Though these endeavours did not materialise into goals, they spoke volumes about FC Goa’s intent to cut the deficit early on.

In the 13th minute, Dejan Drazic swung into the thick of things, pouncing upon a delivery by Aakash Sangwan to direct the ball right at the centre of the net. However, the eventual shot lacked the pace required to power its way into the back of the net.

The home side kept dabbling with outside-of-the-box efforts, with Ayush Dev Chhetri and Guarrotxena teaming up in the added time of the first half for the Spaniard’s shot to meet a timely block as the game entered the half-time break without troubling the scores.

FC Goa’s positive momentum finally paid off in the form of a goal from Borja Herrera in the 49th minute. They pushed numbers ahead at the start of the second essay of the game, too, and a free-kick from the absolute edge of the penalty area propelled them to find their way back in the contest. Herrera stepped up on the set-piece duties and smashed the ball into the bottom left corner through impeccable precision to bring up his team’s first goal of this semi-final tie.

The Manolo Marquez-coached team had plenty of close chances coming their way in the forthcoming phase of the game too. Ayush Dev Chhetri miscued a shot at the high centre of the goal from inside the box in the 69th minute, and it was followed by Udanta’s cross to Guarrotxena, who headed it on target. None of the two shots had the finesse required to find their way past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu though.

The stage was set perfectly for an exciting concluding passage of the encounter. Sangwan’s prowess from lateral zones was optimised in the 89th minute when Armando Sadiku nodded his cross from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner to equalise the scores.

The goal, however, stimulated Bengaluru FC to rediscover their offensive instincts as they immediately rushed to outnumber the FC Goa backline, resulting in Sandesh Jhingan and Brison Fernandes conceding hasty corners in the added time. In the consequence of one such corner kick, Namgyal Bhutia whipped in a cross that was received and headed by Sunil Chhetri with great vigour into the high centre of the goal, bagging the Blues a place in the summit clash.

Chhetri came off the bench in the 55th minute and embraced a concentrated role upfront. He completed 10 out of his 12 attempted passes, produced one goal-scoring chance, and tackled and netting once each.

Bengaluru FC will play the final of the ISL 2024-25 on April 12 against the winner of the semi-final tie between Jamshedpur FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant. FC Goa’s run in the campaign wraps up with this match. (ANI)