Safe hands: Bengaluru FC custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu brought off some splendid saves and was declared the player-of-the-match.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
KOZHIKODE
Bengaluru FC booked its second ticket to a major final in as many months, defeating Jamshedpur FC 2-0 on Friday night.
The first semifinal of the Super Cup was one of those games of two distinct halves, Bengaluru winning the half that really mattered.
Jamshedpur looked the better side in the first half, showing much more intent to press forward, but it failed to convert the chances that came its way. After the interval, Bengaluru played a lot better and attacked more vigorously. Coach Simon Gray’s decision to bring in Sivasakthi Narayanan in the second half helped, too.
It was Sivaskathi who paved the way for Bengaluru’s first goal. His cross, following a swift move down the right, was headed in by Jayesh Rane, who himself had come in as a substitute in the first half after Javi Hernandez limped off the field in obvious pain.
In that opening half, Jamshedpur could have scored a couple of times. Its strikers should have done better, but credit should also be given to the Bengaluru custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who brought off some splendid saves and was named the player-of-the match.
The game was sealed, with seven minutes remaining, by Sunil Chhetri, who slotted the ball home after a Roy Krishna header.
In the final, to be played here on April 25, Bengaluru, the ISL finalist, will take on the winner of Saturday’s semifinal at Manjeri, between NorthEast United and Odisha FC.
The result:
Bengaluru FC 2 (Jayesh Rane 67, Sunil Chhetri 83) bt Jamshedpur FC 0.
