I-League 2015/16 – Kim on song as Bengaluru make it three wins out of three
The goalpost denied the North Korean international his hat-trick, but his brace was enough to seal an impressive 3-0 win for Bengaluru FC, against an underwhelming Shillong Lajong side at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday. The Fed Cup champions have now moved to the top of the points table with this win.
Bengaluru FC: Mawia(GK); Anto, Johnson, Osano, Lalchuanmawia; Lyngdoh, Malsawmzuala, Alwyn; Kim Song Yong, CK Vineeth, Chhetri(C).
Shillong Lajong XI: Kaith(GK); Konsham, Pritam Kumar, Gurung, Khongjee(C), Nongrum, Bipin, Uilliams, Tamang, Pena, Penn Orji.
Ashley Westwood made just one change to the lineup he used in their last game against Aizawl – Thoi Singh was replaced by Alwyn George in the midfield. Thangboi Singto, on the other hand, fielded an unchanged lineup from a goalless draw against Mumbai.
The match got off to an electric start as CK Vineeth opened the scoring under 40 seconds of the start of play. Kim Seong-Yong chested down a long ball, from John Johnson to Alwyn George. The midfielder teed up Vineeth, who found the back of the net with a left-footed strike from inside the six-yard box.
In the 12th minute, Eugeneson Lyngdoh tried his luck with a long range piledriver, but Vishal Kaith, in Shillong goal, kept it out acrobatically.
In what turned out to be an open game of football, Shillong's midfield was almost invisible on the pitch. There was too much gap between the back four and the midfielders, which was exploited time and again by the attacking trio of Bengaluru.
The visitors were struggling to deal with the pace and the movement of Sunil Chhetri, Vineeth and Kim, who constantly swapped positions. Shillong defenders looked vulnerable every time Bengaluru crossed the ball into the box, and in the 19th minute, Kim nearly scored from a cross from Vineeth at the near post.
Bengaluru dominated possession in the midfield and they doubled their lead in the 35th minute. CK Vineeth found space inside the box, after controlling a long ball from the midfield, and he cut the ball back for Chhetri to strike. The club captain's shot was kept out by Vishal, but he could do nothing about Kim scoring from the rebound, and making it 2-0 for the home side.
Just before the end of the first half, Bengaluru came close to scoring their third goal when Johnstone's powerful header, from Lyngdoh's corner, rattled the crossbar. At the other end, Fabio tested Bengaluru goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte with a ferocious freekick, just before the referee blew the halftime whistle.
In the second half, Bengaluru continued their dominance, and eventually, Kim made it 3-0 in the 59th minute. Eugeneson Lyngdoh, whose influence in the match grew in the second half, played Kim through on goal with a delightful pass. The Japanese-born footballer took the ball in his stride, before slotting it past the helpless goalkeeper.
Few minutes later, Lyngdoh close to scoring with an amazing left-footed volley from the edge of the box, but the goalkeeper was grateful to see the ball hit the side nettings.
The match lost its impetus after the third goal, with Shillong having resigned to their fate. Bengaluru also dropped a bit deep, and were looking to hit Shillong on the counter-attacks. In the 82nd minute, Kim came close to completing his hat-trick, when Chhetri passed the ball to him at the edge of the box. Kim drove forward, before unleashing a thunderous right-footed strike, which struck the far post.
Bengaluru kept their composure till the end, and walked away with an impressive 3-0 win, which surely would have sent out a warning to the other title contenders.