Bengaluru FC finished top of Group A of the 2023 Super Cup and made their way into the semifinals with a 1-1 against Kerala Blasters in Kozhikode on Sunday.
Roy Krishna’s early strike was cancelled out by Dimitri Diamantakos in the second period, but it was defeat for fellow semifinal aspirants Sreenidi Deccan against RoundGlass Punjab that helped BFC on their way to a final-four clash against Jamshedpur FC.
Ahead of the game, Bengaluru head coach Simon Grayson rolled out an attacking side as Udanta Singh replaced Parag Shrivas, while Roy Krishna partnered Sunil Chhetri in the final third, in place of Sivasakthi Narayanan. The Blasters, meanwhile, made five changes to the XI that started in their 2-0 defeat to Sreenidi Deccan on Wednesday.
Bengaluru dominated the early proceedings with quick interplay, utilising the pace of Udanta and Naorem Roshan Singh on the flanks. Udanta was in the thick of things early on, when Danish Farooq brought him down in the Blasters’ half in the eighth minute. The resulting free-kick, taken by Javi Hernandez, deflected off Victor Mongil’s head and went over the crossbar.
Grayson’s men made their good start count in the 22nd minute, when Hernandez beat his marker before sending Krishna through on goal. Although the Fijian’s initial effort was saved by Blasters’ goalkeeper Sachin Suresh, Krishna persevered to score on the rebound; his shot heaped over the line by Mongil’s attempted clearance.
Both teams continued to make forays into the final third, but Bengaluru’s defence ensured that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu remained the less busier of the two goalkeepers going in at half-time.
Bengaluru will face Jamshedpur FC in the first semifinal of the 2023 Super Cup, at the EMS Stadium, in Kozhikode, on Friday.