I-League 2017: Bengaluru FC 3-0 Shillong Lajong - 5 Talking Points
Bengaluru FC got their title defence off to the perfect start as the Blues brushed aside Shillong Lajong 3-0. A brace from Udanta Singh put Bengaluru in command before Sena Ralte’s stunning long-range strike put the icing on the cake.
In what was Albert Roca’s first I-League game in charge of Bengaluru and the club’s first I-League game without Ashley Westwood in the dugout, it was harder for Bengaluru than the scoreline made it look. Shillong dug deep, but Bengaluru’s quality was a hurdle too big to cross for the side from Meghalaya.
Here are five big takeaways from the game.
#1 Bengaluru’s injury worries in defence
Bengaluru came into the game with just four fit defenders. Rino Anto, Keegan Pereira, Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, Salam Ranjan Singh and Gursimrat Singh were all out injured. That left John Johnson, Juan Antonio, Nishu Kumar and Sena Ralte as the only fit first-team defenders in the squad.
But they found a way around it. Ralte made his debut for the club, and Harmanjot Khabra played at right-back, not his preferred position on his debut. Khabra and Ralte were strong on the wings and it was very difficult for Shillong to bring any width into their play.
And when they did go long to find their strikers with the high balls, Johnson and Juanan gobbled them up as it was meat and drink for them. The defensive performance was so accomplished that until second half stoppage time, Amrinder Singh did not have a save to make.
It was a defensive performance that deserved credit. Although Shillong did not look like posing too many difficulties, the professionalism with which the Bengaluru defenders went about their business was something to be hugely appreciated.