Bengaluru boy Vinith Venkatesh nets winner as Blues beat East Bengal at Kanteerava

Bengaluru FC’s Academy graduate Vinith Venkatesh scored the winner as the Blues picked up their first points of the 2024-25 Indian Super League season with a 1-0 win over East Bengal FC at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who joined the club as an eight-year-old in 2013, fired a low drive past the reach of East Bengal FC goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill to add to his two strikes in the Durand Cup last month.

Earlier, Bengaluru FC Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza rolled out a starting eleven with several Indian Super League debuts, including that of Vinith, who made his home debut after impressing in the Durand Cup. Rahul Bheke and Aleksandar Jovanovic started at the heart of defence while Edgar Mendez and Sunil Chhetri lined up in attack. East Bengal, meanwhile, started with Dimitrios Diamantakos in attack, while Jeakson Singh made his ISL bow for the Red and Gold brigade.

The game got off to a feisty start with two bookings in the opening ten minutes, as referee Crystal John went to his book and wrote down the names of Nandhakumar Sekar and Jeakson Singh for rash challenges. The first chance of the game fell to the hosts when Jeakson’s hit from distance forced a save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

The Blues had a chance of their own when Mendez’s shot from distance fizzed just wide of Prabhsukhan Gill’s frame. Bengaluru took the lead with 26 minutes on the clock when, after picking a pass from Mendez, Vinith’s low drive beat Prabhsukhan all ends up, and found the bottom corner. The Kanteerava erupted to celebrate the opener, as the boy who joined the Blues as an eight-year-old wheeled away to celebrate in front of his home crowd.

Bengaluru took the lead into the break, and made a change at the half as Vinith was replaced by Sivasakthi Narayanan. Controlling possession and most of the game, Zaragoza’s side continued to make most of the noise, with Naorem Roshan Singh and Nikhil Poojary pushing forward to support the attack. Bengaluru made a triple change just past the hour mark as Chhetri, Mendez and Jovanovic made way for Chinglensana Singh, Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Ryan Williams.

Pereyra Diaz found the back of the net in the 69th minute, but for the referee’s assistant to raise his flag for offside. Bengaluru continued to push forward with the attacking impetus of Ryan Williams and found themselves a man to the good when Lalchungnunga’s late challenge on the Aussie winger earned him a second yellow and an early shower.

Zaragoza replaced midfielder Alberto Noguera with Lalremtluanga Fanai for the final few minutes of regulation time as the Blues closed out the game and claimed their first points of the season. Bengaluru stay in the city, with home fixtures against Hyderabad FC on the 19th and Mohun Bagan SG on 28th.