Come Friday and it will be a chance for Bengaluru FC to maintain their impressive record of winning a major trophy in each of the five seasons in top-flight football since their inception in 2013.
Albert Roca’s men were dealt a dagger blow in the finals of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the hands of Chennaiyin FC after an impressive debut season where they finished as the runaway league leaders.
Standing between them and the Super Cup trophy at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar will be Kolkata giants East Bengal.
In a tournament that has been played in piercing heat and humidity, it has been a test of one’s fitness and endurance as the matches have progressed. In this regard, the performances of Bengaluru in the inaugural Super Cup have been even more impressive.
In the three knock-out matches they have played to earn a spot in Friday’s summit showdown, the Blues have gotten better as the minutes have ticked on. Their second-half performances have been on a different stratosphere compared to their showings in the first period.
In their pre quarter-final clash against Gokulam Kerala FC, Roca’s men were trailing to a Henry Kisekka goal at the half-time interval. It could have been 2-0 to the Kerala outfit going into the interval had Gurpreet Singh had not thwarted Hrisitjan Denkovksi after the Macedonian attacker had found himself one-on-one against the Bengaluru custodian.
The picture changed completely in the second-half as Bengaluru came out firing on all cylinders. Venezuelan striker Miku restored parity in the 70th minute before he set up Udanta Singh for the winner late into injury-time.
That script was followed in the quarter-final win over NEROCA FC where despite taking the early lead through Sunil Chhetri, the ISL runners-up found themselves level with the I-League runners-up as the two sides went into the half-time interval. The I-League side had barely threatened in the final-third all half but were gifted the equalizer after a howler from Gurpreet.
Having been wasteful in the first-half, Bengaluru were much more clinical in the second as Chhetri’s hat-trick sealed their spot in the semi-finals.
Their semi-final win over Mohun Bagan was the perfect testament to their second-half prowess. Trailing to a Aser Dipanda goal at half-time, things went from bad to worse for Roca’s men five minutes into the second period when Nishu Kumar was given his marching order for a last-man foul on Nikhil Kadam.
Having reverted to three at the back after starting the match with a 4-4-2 formation, 10-man Bengaluru professionally dismantled the Kolkata giants as their Chhetri and Miku dug them out of a deep hole.
While it could be a mere coincidence that Bengaluru have improved in the second-half in all three of its Super Cup matches, it is somewhat of a testament to their mettle that they are able to rise to the occasion when it most matters.
Having two talismanic leaders in Chhetri and Miku does help but there is no denying that Roca’s men have a habit of turning up in the second half. Hence, East Bengal would be wise to start with lightening quick intensity in Friday’s showdown. They would be even wiser to up their guard in the second-period.
