Mascia’s injury-time penalty offers NorthEast dramatic win over Bengaluru
Juan Mascia’s penalty in the ninety-fifth minute gave NorthEast United a dramatic, overdue win over Bengaluru FC, who seemed to have secured a difficult-earned draw after substitute Xisco Hernandez’s 82nd-minute equalizer. It turned into Bengaluru’s first-ever defeat in opposition to NorthEast within the ISL.
The hosts earlier produced a great first half of attacking soccer and took the lead whilst Redeem Tlang found the internet with a wonderful, curling attempt inside the 20th minute.
However, injuries to talismanic striker Bartholomew Ogbeche and midfielder Rowllin Borges, who needed to get replaced after the primary 1/2, may want to show decisive inside the return leg in Bengaluru on March eleven.
Last 12 months’ finalists Bengaluru began nervously, specifically in defense, in which Albert Serran and the fullbacks Rahul Bheke and Nishu Kumar especially, had a tough time handling the physical presence of captain Ogbeche and the pace of Tlang, working as a proper winger to support Ogbeche and Federico Gallego. A poorly done header off a NorthEast pass from Bheke nearly had his goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in problem as early because of the 1/3 minute, but Sandhu scrambled to pick out the feeble header off a NorthEast striker’s laces.
NorthEast, again and again, saved the Bengaluru defense on its toes, earlier than Tlang stamped his elegance over the game with an audacious run into the competition field from the proper, taking over left-returned Nishu before unleashing a unique curler along with his left foot, that left Sandhu a mute spectator.
Bengaluru tried to reply with some aggression of their personal. Still, barring an extended-variety strive by way of Dimas Delgado within the 24th minute that turned into well saved using Pawan Kumar, they’d little to expose within the first half. Ogbeche and Gallego persevered in asking questions of the Bengaluru defense, earlier than the previous crumbled in a heap even as chasing a thru ball in the forty-first minute. He needed to be replaced utilizing Juan Mascia following what looked like hamstring stress.
NorthEast emerged from the dressing rooms with Nikhil Kadam replacing Borges, who had managed the center of midfield effectively inside the first 1/2 and suffered a thigh strain. The forced exchange allowed Bengaluru space to put the balls into defense and push up themselves. Coach Carles Cuadrat replaced Serran with Xisco, and this allowed Harmanjot Khabra to update Bheke at proper-back, while the latter moved lower back to the center of defense. Bengaluru began growing greater strain, with Sunil Chhetri getting in at the back of the whole backs some times, but closed down on every occasion via the NorthEast defense.
Xisco got here near scoring with a furious left-footed shot within the 66th minute from the edge of the box but failed to check Pawan because the ball whistled past his far post. The Spaniard’s impact on the sport paid dividends going into the remaining 10 minutes. However, as Chhetri worked his way around the left fringe of the container, he beat proper -back Reagan Singh to send in a measured low skip, which turned into met by way of an onrushing Xisco.
With NorthEast prevailing a free-kick in harm time no longer some distance from the Bengaluru container, the referee noticed a useless venture from Khabra on Mascia inside the penalty location and provided NorthEast a penalty and Khabra a yellow card. Mascia took his time, jogged as much as the ball, and blasted it powerfully into the pinnacle proper nook, sending NorthEast and their fanatics into celebrations.
