S.W. Kom, right, peels off in celebration with Ryan Williams after scoring Bengaluru FC’s winner against Chennaiyin FC during their Indian Super League football clash at the Jawaharalal Nehru Stadium, Chennai, on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

BFC head coach Pep Munoz feels that if the team has a good result against Mumbai City, the team will be right up there in the title race.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Bengaluru FC played out a 2-2 draw against FC Goa.© X/@bengalurufc

The legendary Chhetri etched his name in the Indian Super League (ISL) record books on Saturday, becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the league’s history as he powered Bengaluru FC to a commanding 4-2 victory over Kerala Blasters. At 40 years and 126 days, Chhetri became the oldest hat-trick scorer in the ISL history, surpassing Bartholomew Ogbeche who did it for Hyderabad FC against FC Goa at 38 years and 96 days old in January 2023. The former India captain, who retired from international football earlier this year, struck in the 8th, 73rd and 90 8 minutes, while Ryan Williams scored the other goal for the Blues in the 38th minute.

Jesus Jimenez (56th) and Freddy Lallawmawma (67th) were the goal scorers for Kerala Blasters.

Bengaluru FC were clinical in converting the limited opportunities that they created, as four of their five shots on target resulted in goals.

The duo of Chhetri and Williams were critical in helping the Blues take a 2-0 advantage in the first-half of the game.

The home side were pressing forward from the onset, exploring a host of opportunities to find the back of the net.

Williams was central in that endeavour, driving to the flank with the ball before lobbing in a precise cross for Chhetri in the eighth minute. The striker timed his run to perfection and thundered in the assist to break the deadlock.

From provider, Williams turned the scorer in the 38th minute. Operating in the final third, Williams received a pass from Edgar Mendez at the edge of the box on the right side. Instead of playing a short pass forward, Williams curled in an excellent shot into the top left corner to add another goal to his side’s tally.

Kerala Blasters entered the second half of the match with arguably greater intensity, taking the game to the opposition.

Noah Sadaoui played a key role in that, setting up an assist for Jesus Jimenez in the 56th minute. Jimenez’s left footed effort found its way into the centre of the goal to cut the deficit.

With momentum swaying in their favour, Kerala Blasters equalised in the 67th minute. Freddy Lallawmawma’s exceptional aerial abilities came to the fore as he scored from a Adrian Luna’s cross following a corner.

Bengaluru FC immediately got together and their seasoned frontline took the lead in that. Six minutes later, Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Chhetri interlinked in the attacking half, as the Argentine orchestrated the goal with his accurate pass from a fast break, picking the latter on the centre of the box. Chhetri deposited the ball into the bottom left corner.

To his credit, Chhetri kept finding himself in goal-scoring opportunities and that was consistent right until the end of the game.

In the added time of the second half, Chinglensana Singh turned to Chhetri following a set piece scenario and the striker was perfectly positioned in the middle of the 18-yard area. His finishing finesse was visible again, as he slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to complete a treble of goals.

Just a couple of days after being bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, KL Rahul seems to already be in good terms with the management of the franchise. DC co-owner Parth Jindal had stated that he intends to treat KL Rahul with the “love and respect he deserves” following the auction, and also mentioned that him and Rahul had visited football Bengaluru FC matches together, another team owned by Jindal. Now Rahul has put up a hilarious post on his Instagram, putting a clip of him juggling a cricket ball and asking Jindal whether there is a spot at Bengaluru FC too.

“Got an opening at Bengaluru FC?” posted Rahul on an Instagram story. It is important to note that Rahul hails from Bengaluru as well.

KL Rahul’s IPL journey has seen him represent four different franchises: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite his stellar performances, an IPL title has remained elusive. His move to the Delhi Capitals signals a mutual pursuit of the coveted trophy, as both player and team aim to end their title drought.

Rahul’s versatility as a batter and wicketkeeper has established him as one of the league’s most valuable players. Starting his IPL career in the middle order, he soon transitioned to an opening role, consistently topping the run charts. Between 2018 and 2022, Rahul scored over 590 runs each season, underscoring his reliability and prowess at the crease.

In 2018, Rahul stunned fans with a blazing 14-ball fifty against the Delhi Daredevils, setting a record for the fastest half-century in the tournament at the time.

In 2020, he won the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs in the season, amassing an impressive 670 runs.

Rahul’s leadership journey began with the Punjab Kings in the 2020-21 season, where he took on his first captaincy role, showcasing his strategic acumen.

After joining LSG, he led the team to the playoffs in their debut season and repeated the feat the following year. However, a thigh injury limited him to just nine matches in IPL 2023.

Rahul’s acquisition by the Delhi Capitals is both a strategic move and a bold statement of intent. With his consistent run-scoring ability and proven leadership, he is expected to play a pivotal role in the Capitals’ quest for their maiden IPL title. As the new season approaches, both KL Rahul and the Delhi Capitals will be hoping to forge a successful partnership and finally claim the IPL trophy.

(With ANI inputs)

Bengaluru FC left it late to edge past Mohammedan SC 2-1 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Wednesday. The Blues now have registered a win against all three Kolkata clubs this season. It was Cesar Manzoki who handed the hosts an early lead, but Sunil Chhetri came on as a substitute and scored two goals to see the visitors return home with a famous win. He became the first player to score against all 15 ISL teams and now also leads the league in scoring the most spot-kicks (20) in the competition’s history, as per a press release from ISL.

Mohammedan SC had spring in their steps from the start of the match as they pressed Bengaluru FC as a whole unit. They were even winning the second ball, and Manzoki, pairing up with Mirjalol Kasimov and Carlos Franca, caused many problems for the Blues, who started the game with an all-Indian backline.

The positive start bore fruit for the home team as they opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Manzoki rose highest to head the ball home from Kasimov’s beautiful corner. It was a goal straight out of the training ground as the marksman repaid Andrey Chernyshov’s faith in him by netting his first goal of the season.

In the first 20 minutes, Bengaluru FC failed to make penetrative runs with nothing to show for their lion’s share of possession. However, the Blues finished the first half strongly, with Ryan Williams causing some problems for the Mohammedan SC defence. However, the Florent Ogier-led backline of Mohammedan SC held their fort brilliantly to enter the break with a slender lead.

The second half started with a golden opportunity for the hosts to double their lead. Manzoki controlled a long ball with aplomb, setting up play for Franca in the penalty box. However, the Brazilian’s effort was way off target.

In the 53rd minute, Gerard Zaragoza decided to bring on Sunil Chhetri to add more attacking impetus. The move allowed Jorge Pereyra Diaz to switch to a wider role, with Chhetri taking the central position.

While the Blues dominated possession, they failed to create openings even with Chhetri on the field. Williams caused some trouble with his crosses, but the Australian was not on the same wavelength as Diaz.

In the 70th minute, Chernyshov decided to freshen things up by bringing Alexis Gomez in place of Franca. The Argentine almost made an instant impact for the hosts when Remsanga released him on the left flank following a fast break. Gomez composed himself and struck the ball low to the left, but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied him with a fantastic save.

In the 82nd minute, Manzoki brought down Capo in the penalty box to reward the Blues with a perfect opportunity to equalize. Chhetri stepped up and hammered the ball into the extreme left corner to bring Bengaluru FC back into the game. With that goal, he became the first player to score against all the 15 ISL teams. He has also scored eight goals after coming on as a substitute, a record only bettered by Diego Mauricio (10).

Mohammedan SC almost had the perfect reaction after conceding. Gomez won the possession and released Remsanga on the right, who found Manzoki in the box. The lanky forward lost his marker with his smart movement, but his header struck the post on its way out.

In the end, despite all odds, Bengaluru FC eventually took the lead in the dying moments of the match when Chhetri stepped up from Lalremtluanga Fanai’s cross to head the ball home past Bhaskar in goal. The move saw the Blues secure the maximum points from the match.

The 40-year-old Chhetri was the difference between the two teams on the night. He added that extra bit of energy to Bengaluru FC’s attack and scored a crucial penalty to equalise. He later notched the winner with a thumping header to wrap up the match on a high too.

Mohammedan SC will travel to Jamshedpur to face the Men of Steel on December 2, while Bengaluru FC will face Odisha FC on December 1 at the Kalinga Stadium.

Brief Scores: Bengaluru FC 2 (Sunil Chhetri 82′, 90 9′)- Mohammedan SC 1 (Cesar Manzoki 8′).

Sunil Chhetri came up with two late goals as Bengaluru FC edged past Mohammedan SC 2-1 in the Indian Super League here on Wednesday. The Blues now have registered a win against all three Kolkata clubs this season. It was Cesar Manzoki, who handed the hosts an early lead but Chhetri came on as a substitute and stuck twice to see the visitors return home with a famous win. Chhetri thus became the first player to score against all the 15 ISL teams and now also leads the league in scoring the most spot-kicks (20) in the competition’s history.

Mohammedan SC opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Manzoki rose highest to head the ball home from Kasimov’s beautiful corner.

The second half started with a golden opportunity for the hosts to double their lead. Manzoki controlled a long ball with aplomb, setting up play for Franca in the penalty box. However, the Brazilian’s effort was way off target.

In the 53rd minute, Gerard Zaragoza decided to bring on Chhetri to add more attacking impetus. The move allowed Jorge Pereyra Diaz to switch to a wider role with Chhetri taking the central position.

While the Blues dominated possession, they failed to create openings even with Chhetri on the field. Williams caused some trouble with his crosses but the Australian was not on the same wavelength as Diaz.

In the 70th minute, Chernyshov decided to freshen things up by bringing Alexis Gomez in place of Franca. The Argentine almost made an instant impact for the hosts when Remsanga released him on the left flank following a fast break.

Gomez composed himself and struck the ball low to the left but Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied him with a fantastic save.

In the 82nd minute, Manzoki brought down Capo in the penalty box to reward the Blues with a perfect opportunity to equalize.

Chhetri stepped up and hammered the ball into the extreme left corner to bring Bengaluru FC back into the game.

Mohammedan SC almost had the perfect retaliation after conceding. Gomez won the possession and released Remsanga on the right, who found Manzoki in the box. The lanky forward lost his marker with his smart movement but his header struck the post on its way out.

In the end, despite all odds, Bengaluru FC eventually took the lead in the dying moments of the match when Chhetri stepped up from Lalremtluanga Fanai’s cross to head the ball home past Bhaskar in goal.

Bengaluru FC started their Indian Super League campaign with a 1-0 win over East Bengal with 19-year-old Vinith Venkatesh scoring in his debut match on Saturday. Venkatesh’s 25th-minute strike was the difference between the two teams. It was a fairytale ISL debut for Bengaluru FC academy graduate Venkatesh. He showed glimpses of his brilliance in the recently concluded Durand Cup and carried that momentum into the new ISL season. It was a cagey start from both sides with plenty of tackles flying in, mostly to disrupt the momentum. Nandha Kumar was guilty of a mis-timed challenge in the third minute when he brought down Suresh Wangjam. The East Bengal FC winger received a yellow card for his reckless tackle. Despite the caution, tackles kept flying as Lalchungnunga and later Hector Yuste also joined Nandha into the referee’s book.

The first real opportunity of the game came when Jeakson Singh collected a loose ball outside the penalty area. He launched a thumping effort towards the goal, forcing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to come up with his best to thwart away the danger.

Six minutes later, Bengaluru FC had an opportunity of their own when Roshan Singh picked Mohammed Rakip’s pocket in a dangerous area, starting a counterattack. He squared the ball to Edgar Mendez in space, probably expecting a return pass from the Spaniard. But the experienced striker decided to test Prabhsukhan Gill from long range.

Mendez’s eventual effort went skimming over the post.

The Blues finally went ahead courtesy of an excellent move from Mendez, who picked Venkatesh in space on the right. The youngster created space with an exceptional touch before firing the ball into the bottom corner in the 25th minute.

The second half saw more of the same aggressive football between the two teams with many challenges flying in, especially in the middle of the park. Nandha had the golden opportunity to bring East Bengal back into the game when Hijazi Maher played him into space. However, his thunderous effort from just outside the box was kept out by Gurpreet.

Carles Cuadrat decided to turn to star signing Madih Talal at the expense of Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 57th minute while Gerard Zaragoza also brought on the likes of Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Ryan Williams to inject more energy upfront.

In the 69th minute, the substitution almost paid off when Diaz found the back of the net but moments later he was flagged offside.

On the other end, substitute Vishnu PV combined well with Talal but the former’s effort was too tame to trouble Gurpreet.

The visitors continued to push forward in the final quarter as Cleiton Silva found himself in space but the Brazilian’s shot was way over the target.

Their hopes of salvaging something from the match took a severe hit when Lalchungnunga was given marching orders in the 87th minute following a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Williams. Eventually, East Bengal FC fell short despite creating several openings throughout the match.

East Bengal FC will be on the road as they will travel to Kochi to face Kerala Blasters on September 22 whereas Bengaluru FC will host Hyderabad FC next on September 19.

Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC Live Streaming, Durand Cup SF: Where To Watch© X (Twitter)

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