Bengaluru FC Ride Sunil Chhetri Strike to Hold Hyderabad FC, Climb to Second Spot

Former champions manage to rescue a point from the away match after veteran star striker scores in the second half

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Bengaluru FC rode a late strike by veteran star Sunil Chhetri to hold Hyderabad FC to a 1-1 draw in their Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium here on Saturday.

Sunil’s equaliser saw the defending champions climb two spots to the second spot on the points table. They trail defending champions and league leaders Mohun Bagan Super Giant by eight points. The southern outfit have the same number of points as third-placed Jamshedpur FC, but are ahead due to a superior goal difference.

Devendra Murgaonkar’s first-half strike was neutralised by Sunil Chhetri in the second half of the match. Chhetri, 40, touched the 10-goal mark for the second time in his ISL career, after having netted 14 times in the 2017-18 campaign.

The opening phase of the game was slightly cagey as both teams struggled to create clear chances. Bengaluru FC attempted to break past the Hyderabad FC defensive line but were not exactly cohesive in their moves. Chhetri was flagged offside twice in the opening 20 minutes.