ISL 2017/18: 5 group stage records already broken by Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC has taken Indian football by storm ever since its inception in 2013. Winning both the I-League and the Federation Cup twice in four seasons made the Sunil Chhetri-captained side a big name in India, one which could easily challenge iconic clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers and Dempo. Sandwiched between all these achievements was an AFC Cup final appearance which was a first in Indian football history.

However, many were sceptical about BFC’s decision to make the shift from I-League to ISL. “Would they be able to achieve similar success in the cash-rich league?” – This was a question being asked over and over again.

Albert Roca’s men decided to give the answer in the form of their performance on the pitch. They not only became the first team to qualify for the playoffs but also broke several group stage records to stamp their authority on the tournament.

Let’s take a look at the records that the Blues have already broken:

#1 First team to defeat every opponent

Chhetri and company have collected three points at least once against every other ISL club during the course of the group stage matches in the fourth edition of the league. That means out of their 12 victories, nine have come against different oppositions. None of the other ISL clubs have been able to achieve this feat in the league phase of the tournament since its inception in 2014.

Kerala Blasters came close to creating this record in 2016 when they defeated six out of their seven opponents in the league stage while Chennaiyin have beaten seven out of their nine opponents in ISL 2017/18 and have a chance to make it 8 if they defeat Mumbai City FC in the last game. However, that won’t be enough for John Gregory's side to break BFC’s record which will at least stand till the next season.