Bengaluru take on Chennaiyin FC in the ISL final. BFC start as the overwhelming favourites, but don’t count out Chennaiyin. Read the preview of the final here.
The Kanteerava crowd is as loud as over.
The home fans continue to berate the referee but are also full of praise for their own stars despite the defeat. Loud chants of Chhetri and Udanta sandwiched between some taunts for the ref and the winning side.
It’s over, and Chennaiyin have won here!
Bengaluru can’t muster a comeback as Chennaiyin win their second ISL title. Sunil Chhetri gave the home team a lead, but a Mailson double and Raphael Augusto put the tie beyond the Blues’ reach as Miku’s injury-time goal proved to be a consolation.
90 minutes, and Miku gives BFC a lifeline as Chennaiyin lead 3-2!
Udanta with a fantastic ball from the right, swings it in between the defender and the Venezuelan striker’s header is a powerful one, even as Karanjit gets a touch to the ball.
86 minutes, and Chennaiyin near their second ISL title, as they lead 3-1.
Sunil Chhetri with a gild-edged chance after Miku does some good work down the right but the skipper can only blaze it over. This is not looking good for BFC
77 minutes in, and it’s not the happiest of outings for BFC as Chennaiyin lead 3-1
The home fans find their voice after a while but it is to say “F**K YOU CHENNAI F***K YOU!” as tempers begin to boil over... not sure what purpose that serves.
The referee gets the same treatment from the home fans soon after.
71 minutes in, and Chennaiyin lead 3-1 at Bengaluru’s fortress
‘We can do this” chant the home fans but it quickly dies out... CFC fans making themselves heard with “Bengaluru, are you watching??”
67 minutes, and Raphael Augusto makes it 3-1 to Chennaiyin.
Chennaiyin break at pace, as Jeje passes it to Raphael, who curls it with a placed shot beyond Gurpreet! Bengaluru now have a mountain to climb, if they are to come back from this deficit. What will Roca and Chhetri do now?
61 minutes, and Chennaiyin lead 2-1
Double change for BFC as Daniel Segovia and Nishu Kumar come on for Erik Partaalu and Boithang Haokip. Roca goes for broke here. John Gregory with a substitution of his own as Anirudh Thapa comes on for Bikramjit Singh.
An update from the Kanteerava here:
Here’s the thing. An hour into the game, Gurpreet has been by far the busier keeper on the night. This has not just been a good defensive showing by Chennai, they have impressed going forward as well. And it must be said, the fortress right now is not the loudest it has been this evening.
52 minutes, and it’s still 2-1 to Chennaiyin.
Udanta gets the ball into the net but it’s ruled offside. That’s a close call but Bengaluru look to push on for a equaliser. The Blues are getting closer.
46 minutes, and it’s 1-2 to Chennaiyin.
Dimas Delgado is taken off injured and he’s taken off for Victor Perez as the second half starts.
Mailson strikes again on the verge of half-time and it’s 2-1 to Chennaiyin.
Well, well, well. CFC CFC CFC is the loudest chant inside the Fortress now as the teams head in for the half-time. An injury to Dimas and the second goal for Mailson has COMPLETELY turned this tie on its head. What a fascinating 45 we have ahead!
40 minutes on the clock and we’re deadlocked at 1-1.
Sunil Chhetri giving death-stares to his teammates for taking shots from ridiculous distances. Been a scrappy game since the early goals, to be honest. A few half chances but nothing much to write home about.
Half an hour has passed.
Bengaluru dominate the proceedings. Dimas Delgado with a shot on target as Chennaiyin block the shot.
20 minutes in, and here’s the update from Vinayakk at the ground:
Udanta has been the star so far for BFC – and Chhetri himself made it clear, running towards the youngster to celebrate the first goal. And make no mistake, there are plenty of away fans in the stadium as well who make themselves heard the moment Alves headed that in. Both teams mean business tonight and it’s made for a cracking start.
CHENNAIYIN EQUALISE!
17 minutes in, Mailson Alves equalises for the Marina Machans.
Mailson rises highest from a corner and his header hits the post, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu can’t do anything about the shot as they are level.
9 minutes in, it’s 1-0!
Bengaluru FC with a good start, as Sunil Chhetri pops it in for his 14th goal of the season. Udanta skips down the right, as the forward heads it in.
We have kick-off!
Bengaluru play from left to right in the first half, as Chennaiyin go the opposite way.
The teams are out on the field!
We are seconds away from the kick-off, as the West Block Blues have a massive banner unfurled. Hard to miss the Grim Reaper there.
Sunil Chhetri is no stranger to big games, but the Bengaluru FC captain has stated that the ISL final will be “the most important game” of his life.
Jeje Lalpekhlua won the I-league title with Mohun Bagan at the Kanteerava in 2015-16, as the Mariners held the Blues to a 1-1 draw. Can he repeat the feat with Chennaiyin in the ISL?
It’s a lovely Bengaluru evening, and the Fortress, as the Bengaluru fans refer to it, is all decked up to host a cracker. For the two men in charge, they know what they want from their teams. Albert Roca wants his team to continue their good form, while John Gregory will be hoping for a repeat of the 2-1 win from earlier this season.
Fans of all hues and shades today. The Bengaluru-Chennai rivalry extends to a great many things, starting from sambar, to Ranji cricket earlier and tonight, football. Read about the fans from both sides and what they think of this clash.
THE TEAMS ARE OUT!
No real surprises here as Roca opts for a three-man defence in the absence of regular left-back Subhashish Bose. Rahul Bheke, Juanan Gonzalez and John Johnson will be the defensive trio, hoping to keep Jeje and co. at bay.
For Chennaiyin, the Mizo sniper will lead the line ably supported by Gregory Nelson. The backline of Henrique Sereno, Mailson Alves, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Inigo Calderon have a big task on their hands today as they seek to keep out one of the league’s prolific strike forces.
Firstly, a look at what’s transpired. Bengaluru, in their debut season in the Indian Super League, have romped to the final, not having lost a game since matchday 10. That was 15 games ago as Albert Roca’s men have scored the second highest goals (38), while conceding the lowest (17).
A quick data check before the final to bring you up to speed.
Welcome to the final of the Indian Super League 2017-18. This is Arka Bhattacharya and we have correspondent Vinayakk Mohanarangan at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru tonight to bring you live updates..