I-League: Round 3 Review – Bengaluru FC lead both on and off the pitch

Overview

Bengaluru FC lead the I-League both on and off the pitch

It was another low-scoring round in the Airtel I-League with only 11 goals in five matches. The goal ratio after the first 16 games of the season is only 2.13 while the average was 2.91 overall last campaign. There haven’t been too many standout teams with most clubs not even in action for all three rounds but debutants Bengaluru FC has caught the attention. I-League’s newest club not only leads the I-League table but have also impressed off the pitch with their dedication towards enhancing their brand by giving a lot of importance to their growing fanbase.

The city of Bangalore has responded well with an average attendance of around 7000 for their first three matches, which is a very good number considering the usual standards of the I-League. So the AIFF’s decision to include a franchise team like the JSW-owned club is paying dividends but it’s their performances on the pitch that has been even more impressive.

While some clubs have struggled to get going under a new coach or haven’t been in the best physical shape early in the season, Bengaluru FC have looked well organised from match one with every player knowing their roles very well and they have also played some attractive football. The centre-back pairing of John Johnson and Curtis Osano has been by far the best in the league so far with the former also contributing with two goals while the other two foreigners John Menyongar and Sean Rooney have also looked in good shape.

Coach Ashley Westwood should be also given credit for bringing the best out of some of the young Indian players like Vishal Kumar and Beikhokhei Beingaichho. It’s worth noting that Bengaluru FC have enjoyed home comforts in all three of their matches so far and that will remain the case for their next two matches too. So tougher tests lie ahead and hence it’s premature to call them title contenders but the newly-formed club is already one of the success stories of this season’s I-League.

Bangalore hasn’t been the only venue witnessing good turnouts. Shillong has had an average attendance of around 20,000 and that number could rise as the season progresses because they have two I-League clubs now. The Shillong duo had mixed fortunes in round three though as Lajong suffered their first defeat while Rangdajied registered their first-ever point in the top flight.

The league title has been won by Goan clubs for the last seven seasons but this time after three rounds, teams from that region have struggled with Salgaocar being the only side with a 100 percent record so far. Sporting got their first victory but defending champions Churchill Brothers and record five-time winners Dempo are worryingly still winless. Churchill Brothers in particularly have been disappointing with no goals in their first three matches and on paper at least they look set for a difficult season unless changes are made in the foreign department.

The big two of Kolkata were not in action but Mohammedan Sporting and United SC both suffered defeats. While United SC suffered only their first loss, Mohammedan Sporting were thumped by Salgaocar and thus have had a nightmare return to the top flight as they lost both their opening matches.

Results

Rangdajied United 2-2 Dempo; Shillong Lajong 0-1 Sporting Clube; Churchill Brothers 0-2 Mumbai FC; Salgaocar 3-0 Mohammedan Sporting; Bengaluru FC 1-0 United SC.