- Mar 4, 2024
- Sep 21, 2022
Bengaluru FC and Northeast United played the second game of the Indian Super League at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. The home side beat the United by a margin of 1-0. This is the first season in which the fans have watched the game inside the stadium since 2019-20. The last two seasons were held in Goa only and they were conducted in strict bio bubbles. When the first game of this season happened (Kerala Blasters vs SC East Bengal), it felt like a breath of fresh air as fans poured back into stadiums.
Alan Costa scored the solitary goal in the game (87th minute) as the White Brigade (United) was frustrated by great defending from Bengaluru. The Coach of Northeast, Marco Balbul was sent off for complaining about the referee’s decision that disallowed Gaztanaga’s stoppage-time equalizer. The game ended in favor of Bengaluru as the focus shifted to decision-making in the Indian Super League.
Simon Grayson the manager of Bengaluru FC shared his thoughts on the game in the post-match press conference. The Bengaluru and Northeast United tie had its fair share of spice. The game got spicier when Gaztanaga’s goal got disallowed, the players and coach (of Northeast United) ran up to the referees in what was a sign of protest. Shortly after this, Marco Balbul got a red card for bad behavior. Commenting on the same, Grayson gave his support in favor of the decision-making but also said that things can be improved so that the decisions will be better going forward.
“I think in terms of referees, they make good decisions and bad decisions and that’s how they’re all alike. I’m pretty sure the NorthEast coach and manager would be complaining about the decision. But there was a reason behind the goal being disallowed. Sometimes these things happen, and you don’t get the break. So, I’m not seeing what people would be talking about,” he commented.