Star striker Sunil Chhetri struck a late goal as a substitute to help Bengaluru FC eke out a 1-0 win over Mumbai City FC in the first leg of the Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Chhetri's 78th minute goal gave the Blues a vital advantage ahead of the second leg in Bengaluru on Sunday. As they have all season, the Islanders were once again the team that dominated possession and created more scoring chances than their opponents.
In the second minute, Greg Stewart set the pace down the right with a low cross back into the box for Bipin Singh, whose shot was blocked by Prabir Das.
The defender was called into action again just ten minutes later to deny Lalengmawia Ralte and Jorge Diaz after a one-two. At the other end of the pitch, Roshan Naorem's through ball went past Mourtada Fall, but Phurba Lachenpa went down and reached the ball before Roy Krishna could cause damage, and this was largely the extent of the Blues' penetration in the first half.