Dalbir Stars With A Brace To Send Blue Colts To The Top Of Karnataka-Andhra Zone

Vidyanagar, Bellary: Bengaluru FC’s U18 side added to their winning start in the U18 Youth League with a dominant 3-1 defeat of Ozone FA in the second-round encounter of their Karnataka-Andhra Zone at the Vidyanagar Township, in Bellary, on Monday.

While Ozone skipper Manvir Singh (36’) cancelled out Dalbir Singh’s (25’) opener in the first half, a second from Dalbir (48’) and another from Akashdeep Singh (51’) after the restart handed the Blue Colts their second win. The three points took Bengaluru’s tally to six points, giving them the lead in the zone.

Going into their second home game, Coach John Kenneth Raj fielded an unchanged side, and despite a slow start to the first half, the Blue Colts got a grip on the game and began dominating proceedings post the quarter hour mark. Lalrintluanga Chawnglut was the first to take a crack at the rival goal when his attempt from 30-yards out flew inches wide of the woodwork in the 22nd minute before BFC broke the deadlock three minutes later. A perfect low delivery on a corner in from the left by Lalrintluanga was finished off with a first-time effort by Dalbir Singh to give Bengaluru the lead.

Ozone, who had opted the route one method, defending deep and send long balls to skipper and lone striker Manvir Singh, found their equaliser eleven minutes later. With a burst of pace, Manvir managed to open up and beat the high line of the Bengaluru defence before finishing past Tamal Naskar in a one-on-one situation.

While the first half saw a slow start, there was a completely different intensity to the second with Bengaluru scoring twice in the space of six minutes. First, Dalbir completed his brace when he dribbled past a host of Ozone defenders down the left flank, before firing home from the edge of the box in the 48th. Then it was substitute Akashdeep Singh, on for Manbhakupar Iawnhniaw in the first half, heading home Rahul Rajan’s corner in from the left three minutes later.

The Blue Colts almost had another but Rahul hit the woodwork after a wave of BFC attacks in the 56th minute before Ozone had a chance of their own two minutes later at the other end only for skipper Manvir to miss an open chance.

Bengaluru controlled most of the proceedings thereon, secure their second successive victory and the Blue Colts will now host Boca Juniors Football School in their next game on October 23.