Bengaluru FC vs NorthEast United FC: 5 Talking Points from the ISL Match

If the first match of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season was a cracker then the second match was no less than a thriller itself. Bengaluru FC defeated NorthEast United FC 4-2 at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim, Goa. There was little to separate both teams but ISL 2018-19 Champions edged out last year's Semi-finalists with goals from Cleiton Silva, Jayesh Rane, Prince Ibara, and an own goal from Mashoor Thangalakath. Deshorn Brown and Mathius Coureur scored for The Highlanders.

We were presented with one of the best versions of end-to-end football as both teams went full attacking right from the first minute. a total of 6 goals, an awful own goal, some oops moments, and a lot of drama happened during the game. Marco Pezzaiuoli won his first match in ISL while Khalid Jamil had to accept the first defeat of the new season.

Here are the top five talking points from the ISL fixture between Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United FC.

Cleiton Silva is the Man for Big Occasions

Brazilian forward Cleiton Silva was signed by Bengaluru FC in 2020 and he repaid their faith by scoring 7 goals last season, just 1 less than their top scorer Sunil Chhetri. He has started the new season just from where he left last one. With 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 key passes, and some brilliant link-ups with Udhanta and Jayesh, it is safe to say that Cleiton was the man of the match.

In a game like this where Sunil Chhetri doesn't have much impact, it's important for Cleiton to take the responsibility of scoring and he has certainly shown that he can be trusted by The Blues for the rest of the season.

Brown and Suhair have a Point to Prove

Deshorn Brown was signed by Bengaluru FC in 2020 but just after 10 games and no goals for The Blues, he was transferred to NorthEast United FC in the 2021 January transfer market. And ever since, he hasn't looked back and scored 6 goals in 11 games for The Highlanders. Once again, he was the star man for the NorthEast United in this match. He equalized in the 17th minute of the game after a good lob ball from Suhair and was instrumental in the build-up for the second goal as well. VP Suhair also provided the second assist of the match to set up Mathias Coureur and overall was the best playmaker for NEUFC. NorthEast United FC fans will certainly be hoping for more goals and assists from the duo in the season.

Pezzaiuoli Gets his Tactics Right

It was a game between 2 talented coaches and Marco Pezzaiuoli came out on top over Khalid Jamil. Pezzaiuoli set up his team in 4-2-3-1 formation with Sunil and Udanta starting as wingers and Cleiton playing as Centre Forward. In the first half, NorthEast United did provide problems for Bengaluru with their own tactical set up which had wingers and full-backs overlapping each other to provide deadly crosses in the box. Bengaluru conceded both their goals from crosses and the experienced Pezzaiuoli reacted perfectly at half-time to counter these tactics. Bengaluru started to play wider as well in the second half and prevented NorthEast from putting more crosses into the box. This proved to be defining moment in the game as Bengaluru looked pretty comfortable and NorthEast couldn't score more.

Horrible Night for Defenders and Goalkeepers

This match turned out to be a nightmare for defenders and goalkeepers, especially the ones wearing the white kit. Mashoor Thangalakath had a brilliant strike into the net but unfortunately for him, it was his own net and he would definitely like to forget this goal as soon as possible. Goalkeeper and NEUFC captain Subhashis Roy Chowdhary had a horrible day as well as he not only let in 4 goals but was very poor at saving and marking his line of defense as well.

Indian Players shine for Bengaluru

Jayesh Rane, Udanta Singh, VP Suhair had a brilliant game. Rane scored a goal whereas Udanta provided a brilliant assist to Cleiton for the first goal of the match. Both Udanta and Rane were key players for Bengaluru. Full-backs Ajith Kumar and Kruniyan also had a good game for Bengaluru. These performances would certainly give a lot of joy to BFC management and fans as they would be hoping for another title run.