<p>It’s been three years since Bengaluru FC’s inception and since then, no season has gone by without them winning at least one title.<br /><br />If the first season saw them claim the I-league title on debut, in the following year they won the Federation Cup. Then in 2015-16 they once again wrapped up the league with a game to spare. So when the league didn’t go according to plans in the 2016-17 season, Bengaluru had to get their hands on the Federation Cup to keep this trend going. <br /><br />“Not winning the league this year meant we had to turn up and deliver in the Federation cup,” said midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh describing the emotions in the team going into the tournament.<br /><br />“We’ve made it a habit to win one trophy a season and we told ourselves that we have to keep that going. Moreover, with the league gone, only way for us to keep our hopes of playing in Asia alive was to win here, so we had to do this,” he added.<br /><br />There was pressure. The pressure of expectation and the pressure of another year in Asia, but delivering under pressure is a habit for this side. It was this quality that helped Bengaluru defeat Mohun Bagan in the final in Cuttack to claim the silverware.<br /><br />Though the trophy was a fitting finish to what has been a difficult season for Bengaluru, according to CK Vineeth, their performance still isn’t up to the standards that they have set for themselves. “I don’t think it was up to the mark,” said the man who scored the two goals in Sunday’s final. “In the first game against Shillong (Lajong) we ended conceding two unnecessary goals. I have no idea how we lost against DSK (Shivajians).<br /><br />“In the semis, we should have scored a few more goals. I missed a handful of chances. I think, until the final, Bengaluru FC didn’t play the competition. It was some team in our colours. Only in the final it looked like it was Bengaluru FC,” Vineeth said.<br /><br />Their Federation Cup run has also had a telling effect on the players. Skipper Sunil Chhetri’s season came to an unfortunate end before the final, while Udanta Singh hobbled off the field in the summit tie. Though Vineeth continued to play, he too picked up a knock. And with a must-win game against Maziya S&RC in the AFC Cup group stage awaiting them in a week’s time, head coach Albert Roca is looking for solutions to tackle the Maldivian outfit.<br /><br />“It’s unfortunate that we have lost two more strikers due to injury. Udanta’s injury in the final means it would be difficult for him to feature against Maziya, similarly Vineeth too had some discomfort towards the end of the game. Marjan Jugovic has just undergone surgery and will need time to recover. So we need to find solutions to those problems,” the Spaniard said.</p>
<p>It’s been three years since Bengaluru FC’s inception and since then, no season has gone by without them winning at least one title.<br /><br />If the first season saw them claim the I-league title on debut, in the following year they won the Federation Cup. Then in 2015-16 they once again wrapped up the league with a game to spare. So when the league didn’t go according to plans in the 2016-17 season, Bengaluru had to get their hands on the Federation Cup to keep this trend going. <br /><br />“Not winning the league this year meant we had to turn up and deliver in the Federation cup,” said midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh describing the emotions in the team going into the tournament.<br /><br />“We’ve made it a habit to win one trophy a season and we told ourselves that we have to keep that going. Moreover, with the league gone, only way for us to keep our hopes of playing in Asia alive was to win here, so we had to do this,” he added.<br /><br />There was pressure. The pressure of expectation and the pressure of another year in Asia, but delivering under pressure is a habit for this side. It was this quality that helped Bengaluru defeat Mohun Bagan in the final in Cuttack to claim the silverware.<br /><br />Though the trophy was a fitting finish to what has been a difficult season for Bengaluru, according to CK Vineeth, their performance still isn’t up to the standards that they have set for themselves. “I don’t think it was up to the mark,” said the man who scored the two goals in Sunday’s final. “In the first game against Shillong (Lajong) we ended conceding two unnecessary goals. I have no idea how we lost against DSK (Shivajians).<br /><br />“In the semis, we should have scored a few more goals. I missed a handful of chances. I think, until the final, Bengaluru FC didn’t play the competition. It was some team in our colours. Only in the final it looked like it was Bengaluru FC,” Vineeth said.<br /><br />Their Federation Cup run has also had a telling effect on the players. Skipper Sunil Chhetri’s season came to an unfortunate end before the final, while Udanta Singh hobbled off the field in the summit tie. Though Vineeth continued to play, he too picked up a knock. And with a must-win game against Maziya S&RC in the AFC Cup group stage awaiting them in a week’s time, head coach Albert Roca is looking for solutions to tackle the Maldivian outfit.<br /><br />“It’s unfortunate that we have lost two more strikers due to injury. Udanta’s injury in the final means it would be difficult for him to feature against Maziya, similarly Vineeth too had some discomfort towards the end of the game. Marjan Jugovic has just undergone surgery and will need time to recover. So we need to find solutions to those problems,” the Spaniard said.</p>
