ISL: Sunil Chhetri's brace powers Bengaluru FC to a 3-0 win over Hyderabad FC

Sunil Chhetri. Pic/AFP

Bengaluru FC (BFC) eased past Hyderabad FC (HFC) 3-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday, securing their second consecutive win in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season.

Rahul Bheke scored in the first half, and Sunil Chhetri added two more goals in the second half to seal a comfortable victory, propelling Gerard Zaragoza's team to the top of the table. Coming off the bench in the 57th minute, Chhetri's brace made him the joint-highest goal-scorer in ISL history, tied with Bartholomew Ogbeche on 63 goals.

The home team maintained steady control right from kick-off, stretching Hyderabad FC's backline and creating numerous scoring opportunities.

In the fifth minute, Bengaluru FC earned a corner kick, with academy graduate Vinith Venkatesh, who had scored in their previous win against East Bengal FC, stepping up for the set-piece. The 19-year-old delivered a curling ball to the far post for defender Rahul Bheke.

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Bheke, one of Bengaluru FC's notable summer acquisitions, received the pass, created space, and calmly slotted the ball past Hyderabad FC goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh with his side foot. This was Bheke's first ISL goal since February 2022, when he scored against Jamshedpur FC. It was also his fifth goal in the ISL, all from corner kicks. Bheke is now the fifth-highest goal-scorer from corners in the competition, behind Bartholomew Ogbeche (10), Mourtada Fall (10), Roy Krishna (8), and Peter Hartley (6).

Hyderabad FC responded strongly, with Parag Shrivas curving a ball in for Devendra Murgaonkar from the left flank. Murgaonkar did well to get to the end of the pass but his shot was off target.

The game really sprung to life with Chhetri coming onto the field in the 57th minute. Roshan Singh drew a foul off Hyderabad FC defender Leander D'Cunha inside the 18-yard box, and upstepped Chhetri to convert the penalty and bag his first goal of the season. As clever as ever from the spot, the striker sent Arshdeep Singh the wrong way by delicately kicking the ball into the bottom right corner to double Bengaluru FC's lead.

Admirably, they didn't take their foot off the pedal afterwards, regularly exploring opportunities up front. Spanish striker Edgar Mendez cut inside from the right and delivered a cross that was met by Chhetri with a diving header, comfortably finding the back of the net. Chhetri's brace highlights a trend in the ISL 2024-25 season, with eight goals already scored past the 85th minute, demonstrating that games are frequently going down to the wire this campaign.

Chhetri played a pivotal role in the second half, completing all nine of his attempted passes, scoring twice, and creating one goal-scoring opportunity. These goals added to his record, placing him as the joint-highest goal-scorer in ISL history.

Bengaluru FC will play their next match against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant on September 28, whereas Hyderabad FC return to action on September 25 against Punjab FC.

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