Bengaluru rout EB to win Super Cup

Bhubaneswar, April 20

Skipper Sunil Chhetri led from the front with a brace as Bengaluru FC thrashed 10-man East Bengal 4-1 to win the inaugural Super Cup football tournament here on Friday.

Chhetri converted a penalty in the 69th minute before exploiting poor marking by the East Bengal defence to head in his second in the 90th minute.

An accurate header by Rahul Bheke (40th) and a superb finish by Nicolas Fedor, popularly known as Miku, in the 71st minute brought the other goals for Bengaluru.

East Bengal striker Ansumana Kromah (28th) had put the Kolkata giants in the lead with an excellent volley. Chhetri was declared the Man of the Match while Miku was declared the Man of the Tournament.

“I am very happy for the supporters. This is the success we were looking forward to,” Bengaluru FC coach Alberto Roca said. “Today we showed that we were the most consistent side this season.”

Bengaluru had missed out on the Indian Super League title after falling in the final. Despite topping the pool stage by a big margin, the Blues were beaten in the title clash by Chennaiyin FC. Roca said, “I am very happy for the way my team performed in the tournament. In three of the games, we came back from a goal down. It’s very credible.” — IANS