BFC set for final showdown

Bengaluru FC will be up against local giants Dempo SC as Ashley Westwood’s team chase their first trophy of the new season in the Federation Cup final at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

The two teams have put up consistent performances through the league phase topping their respective groups not having dropped a single point in the process.

In the semifinals too, the teams displayed immense maturity to come out worthy winners as Dempo beat Salgaocar 2-0 only for Bengaluru to follow it up with a 3-0 win over Sporting Clube on Friday.

The I-League champions have been in the top of their form over the last two weeks and the 3-0 show against Sporting was the club’s third clean sheet in the competition.

John Johnson and Curtis Osano have been stuffing out attacks without much ado while Rino Anto and Keegan Pereira haven’t wasted the chance to bomb down the flanks, joining in attack.

The attack front throws an interesting sub-plot where Sunil Chhetri has been going toe-to-toe with Dempo’s Tolgay Ozbey in the race for tournament top scorer. The duo are on five goals each and will look to increase the tally on a stage that’s perfectly set up for them to shine on.

“We are pleased to be in the final. It was our aim before the tournament started. We have worked hard pre-season and throughout the tournament to get ourselves in this position today.
Dempo are a good, very attacking side who I am sure will come and play to win. They have youth, energy and pace in the side and it bodes well for a very entertaining game. We will be doing our best to maintain our consistent performances,” said Westwood on the eve of the big clash.

Dempo’s coach Arthur Papas knows that a win over the I-League champions is no mean task and he will need his players to be in the best of shape to take on the challenge.

“We have to recover and be prepared for the next game medically. In a tournament like this, all you have is 48 hours between semis and finals and there isn't much we can do but make them feel as good as possible,” said Papas.

The Australian also hailed the impact the new signings have had. “Players are improving while new players have come in and made an impact. The group works together, for each other and it’s not about one player alone,” he opined.