Bengaluru FC and Sreenidi Deccan FC share the spoils in the Group A fixture of the Hero Super Cup 2023
Bengaluru FC and Sreenidi Deccan FC played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the first game of the Hero Super Cup at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Saturday, April 8.
The Deccan Warriors looked sharp early in the game and created an opening within five minutes. Winger Rosenberg Gabriel pounced on the loose ball and dribbled past Parag Shrivas before testing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal.
But the Blues showed their quality almost immediately after Sreenidi Deccan’s attempt. Prabir Das’ delivery from the right flank found Sunil Chhetri, but the skipper’s effort from inside the box missed the target.
Chhetri soon turned provider and set up his fellow forward Roy Krishna with an inch-perfect pass. But goalkeeper Aryan Lamba expertly parried away his shot to keep the scores level. Simon Grayons’s men were all over their opponents and were finally rewarded for their efforts in the ninth minute.
Roshan Singh’s trickery was on show and his cutback saw Javi Hernandez, whose powerful hit was saved by Lamba. Sreenidi’s custodian denied Krishna’s attempt on the rebound, but the ball kindly fell to Hernandez, who thumped it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
Bengaluru FC continued to dominate the proceedings, but Sreenidi Deccan scored the equalizer against the run of play. Forward Faysal Shayesteh deceived BFC's defense with clever movement around the edge of the box and buried the ball past a helpless Gurpreet in the 22nd minute.
While Bengaluru created inroads by building out from the back, Sreenidi Deccan capitalized on sloppy passes and looked dangerous on the break. Nonetheless, the half ended on level terms with each side scoring once.
Sreenidi Deccan FC’s resolute defending earns them a point against Bengaluru FC
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first. Sreenidi Deccan were compact out of possession and used a man-marking approach in midfield to restrict the threat of Javi, Chhetri, and Krishna.
Meanwhile, they appeared to be waiting for the BFC to make mistakes and had a couple of half chances to go ahead in the game. Gabriel continued to look threatening, while David Castaneda and Arijit Bagui also had their moments.
Unlike in the first half, the chances did not flow for either side in the second 45 minutes. Grayson turned to his bench to bring in the likes of Sivasakthi Narayanan, Pablo Perez, and forward Leon Augustine.
Augustine had an instant impact as he wriggled past two defenders, but a last-ditch tackle by Stanislas Ankira saved his side from going behind.
Following a tight battle in the middle of the park, the game opened up in the closing stages as the substitutes provided an impetus for both sides to attack. Bengaluru were aggressive in possession, with Chhetri missing a golden opportunity towards the end of the half.
The second half did not produce any goals, and the game ended in a stalemate.
Sreenidi Deccan FC manager Carlos Vaz Pinto will be delighted with their performance as his side showed their defensive tenacity, while also troubling the BFC defense on several occasions.
Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, looked like a shell of their former selves against the Deccan Warriors and will look to improve in the coming games.