Highlights, ISL 2019 Final: Bengaluru FC beat FC Goa 1-0 in extra-time to clinch maiden title
Soccer | March 17, 2019 23:32 ISTRahul Bheke scored the lone goal of the match in the 118th minute to lead Bengaluru FC to their maiden ISL title.
Rahul Bheke scored the lone goal of the match in the 118th minute to lead Bengaluru FC to their maiden ISL title.
Goa were the runners up in 2015, while Bengaluru ended up second best last season. Coincidentally, both the teams had lost to Chennaiyin FC in their respective summit clashes.
FC Goa had blanked Mumbai 5-0 in October and later on won 2-0 against the Jorge Costa-coached Mumbai team, giving the former team the edge in the semis clash.
Two-time former champions ATK finally gave their despondent fans something to cheer about as they bowed out with a 2-1 win over Delhi Dynamos.
The result sees NorthEast United FC clinch a spot in the top four for the first time in ISL history while Jamshedpur remain fifth and four points behind them.
Italy and Juventus great Alessandro Del Piero played for Delhi Dynamos in the inaugural 2014 ISL.
The win resulted in Goa sealing a play-off berth and also leapfrogged Bengaluru FC to claim the top spot in the ISL table.
The win meant Delhi are now unbeaten in their last five matches, winning three of them, while Bengaluru have lost three of their last five matches.
Matej Poplatnik scored a brace (23rd, 55th minutes) to put Kerala Blasters in the driving seat and young midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad finished things off in the 71st minute to score his first ever ISL goal.
After a goalless first half, Jamshedpur stepped up the pressure on Mumbai and found the match-winner through Memo in the 80th minute.
NorthEast United have won only one of their last seven matches but continue to be in contention for a semi-final spot.
FC Goa added a point to their tally to make it 25 points from 14 matches and remain third in the standings while Delhi are rooted to the eighth spot.
Bengaluru will still be on their guard as they are challenged by the next best side, NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium.
The victory sees Mumbai climb the fourth spot in the table, while Delhi Dynamos are rooted to the bottom without a win to their name.
Delhi have shown a plenty of promise in several games and if they do not convert their dominance into wins, they can forget about qualifying.
The home side survived onslaughts from Delhi Dynamos before Udanta struck the lone goal in the 87th minute to win the match.
Semifinalists' in the previous edition, Pune City have suffered four losses from five matches. They have just two points and are placed at the bottom of the table.
The good news for Goa is the return of star striker Ferran Corominas after serving his one-match suspension.
Last season when Bengaluru FC came to Kochi on the eve of New Year, they thumped three goals in what was Rene Meulensteen's final game in charge.
The result pulled Pune City, still without a win, off the bottom of the table temporarily while Kerala Blasters have moved up to the fifth spot with seven points from five games.
