ISL: Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai City FC on penalties, enter final

On a night the two goalkeepers stood tall amid a constant wave of attempts, a sudden death in the penalty shootout gave the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) season its first finalist. After 16 clinical penalties spilt Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City FC, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu blocked the one that mattered and denied Mumbai City’s Mehtab Singh.

Sandesh Jhingan backed it up to give Bengaluru FC the win on penalties in the second leg semi-final at home despite the visitors being 2-1 at full time. Bengaluru’s goal in the 1-0 win in Mumbai proved crucial in the end.

While Bengaluru entered their first ISL final since 2018-19, Shield Winners Mumbai City's hopes of repeating the double from their 2020-21 season met an anti-climatic end.

The goalkeepers’ night out ironically began with a rather loose challenge from Gurpreet that caught Jorge Diaz's foot in the box for a penalty. The Bengaluru captain ensured his team’s first leg edge wasn't wiped away in just eight minutes as his one-handed effort blocked Greg Stewart’s strike to the right corner.

Bengaluru doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute, Javi Hernandez leaping to stick his head out off a fine ball from Siva Narayanan to place it to the left of Mumbai keeper Phurba Lachenpa.

Mumbai City were stung, yet not silenced. Bipin Singh stepped up to slot home a rebound off Gurpreet’s foot that denied a Rowllin Borges shot at the half-hour mark.

What followed over the next 30 minutes was a goalkeeping clinic. If not for Phurba’s quick reflexes in the box, the Spaniard Javi could well have had three more goals. If not for Gurpreet’s full stretched mid-air save, Mumbai City could well have been 2-1 from a Bipin header in the 65th minute.

The visitors got there a minute later courtesy Mehtab and his towering header. First leg’s super sub Sunil Chhetri walked in and Bipin limped out as the game went into extra time. Diaz fluffed two big chances to bury the contest in it; Phurba again denied Roy Krishna while Mourtada Fall nearly gifted an own goal to Bengaluru from the resultant rebound.

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