ISL: Bengaluru FC back on track with 2-0 victory against NorthEast United FC, move up to fourth spot

The Blues were efficient in their gameplay, since they held only 37.3% of the possession, but scored twice out of the four shots that they took on target. NorthEast United FC were arguably more industrious, making 25 crosses as compared to the 10 of the visitors, but the Gerard Zaragoza-coached side clinched the triumph eventually, moving to the fourth spot in the table with 34 points off 21 games, as the Highlanders are fifth with 32 points.

Bengaluru FC built strong momentum from the onset, holding the ball and making inroads into the Highlanders' defence with ease. They picked the ball, circulating it from the centre to the flanks and creating spaces inside the NorthEast United FC defence.

The entire frontline and midfield moved in tandem with Ryan Williams landing into the centre of the box in the third minute, deviating from his usual role where he shunts out wide to deliver lateral deliveries inside the penalty area. Alberto Noguera, coming on the back of a brace against Jamshedpur FC, pulled off a slick pass for Williams and the latter slotted it into the bottom left corner to open the scoring early on.

The home side struck back courtesy of Alaaeddine Ajaraie in the 18th minute, who was served a probing cross by Redeem Tlang. The striker, positioned at the heart of the penalty box, made a thumping header that was saved at the high centre of the goal by Lalthuammawia Ralte.

Tlang continued to don a critical role in the Bengaluru FC final third, serving up a pass for Phalguni Singh at distance in the 31st minute. Phalguni trusted his instinct from outside of the box, but his shot was wayward as it landed high and wide to the left side of the goal.

The Blues retaliated almost immediately as they hit the Highlanders on a fast break as the move was about to cap off with Pedro Capo making a headed pass for Noguera outside the 18-yard zone. Noguera, too, replicated Phalguni's effort with an ambitious shot that swung away from the right post.

The second essay of the match began with a similar pattern of back-and-forth exchanges, as both teams battled to find their rhythm to assert their gameplay. NorthEast United FC shook things up a bit, with Nestor Albiach too making his presence felt in the final third. Thoi Singh served in an exquisite cross, which Nestor did well to direct on target, but Ralte was still placed well to get his palm in line and save the effort from going in.

The home side further unleashed all their options, with goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh embracing the long-ball approach to hurl in a delivery straight for Ajaraie. The striker could have barged into the box but he instead made an outside-of-the-box effort that couldn't land on target, instead swinging away on the right.

Bengaluru FC pushed numbers ahead to find the second goal that could provide them greater safety heading into the final few minutes of the encounter. This led to a rather scrambled situation inside the NorthEast United FC box as the visitors struggled to get hold of the ball.

However, the Highlanders wore an equally disoriented look and Noguera pounced upon this moment of uncertainty by latching upon a loose ball at the centre of the box with his left foot to drill it into the bottom left corner and get another strike in the 81st minute, giving the side a safety net as they saw off the rest of the encounter to keep their second consecutive clean sheet and bag another three points.

Noguera scored and assisted once each, completing 16 out of his 21 attempted passes, making one clearance and interception each, in addition to tackling four times.

NorthEast United FC and Bengaluru FC will play their next game against Chennaiyin FC on March 3 and February 25 respectively, as per the ISL press release. (ANI)