JOIN USBelief back in the blood of the Blues
There is something about Bengaluru FC and the semifinal second legs at the Sree Kanteerava stadium. A fixture cloaked in magic, powered by an undeterred belief that this one is in the bag.
It is a belief built on years of shared experience. The fans, like the 21,000 plus who turned out on Sunday will attest to, know that this is it, one the marquee. In many ways, more than finals or titles, this fixture built the mystique of Kanteerava. That cemented its reputation as a fortress.
One can look at the 3-1 win over Johor Darul Ta'zim in the AFC Cup semifinal second leg as the first. Then came the others. The 3-1 win over FC Pune City after a goalless draw in the first leg of Bengaluru's maiden season at the Indian Super League. A year later, BFC overturned a 2-1 deficit against NorthEast United FC with a 3-0 win in the same fixture.
And on Sunday night, when Mumbai City FC - who won the league at a canter and has a case to be the best team in the league's history - won the battle but lost the war. Surrounded by a wall of noise, the ISL Shield Winners gave the fight everyone expected but ultimately, and cruelly, fell short. The 2-1 winners on the night lost after the game went 18 penalties deep.
Simon Grayson, Bengaluru's head coach, had wondered ahead of the semifinal why Mumbai was not given the second leg at home. It was an advantage, he felt. It certainly was.
"The (over) 20,000 (supporters) here, we put them through the mill with penalties and everything that went with it," said Grayson after the game. "To achieve what we have done so far this season, from where we were, takes a lot of mental strength, togetherness, and spirit and we had that. Now we have to go to Goa and finish it."
That Bengaluru are in the final is remarkable, they were third from the bottom at the turn of the year. It took a winning run for the ages to get them to the knockouts. With the script of the season being what it is, it could have only gone one way on Sunday. Bengaluru had to suffer, scratch and claw, ride their luck, have their own nearly moments before making it.
"The past two finals we've been to, we backed it by good performances during the season. We had dominated. This time we started from the bottom and came here through hard work and determination. So it does feel special," said an exhausted Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
He was the star on the night, called into action repeatedly. Conceding and saving a penalty early doors before keeping out Mehtab Singh's spot kick in the shootout.
"Honestly I did (expect to reach the final). Me, Sandesh (Jhingan), (Sunil) Chhetri bhai we dreamt of it. There were nights in December when I dreamt of being in the final. That belief was always there."
Two years in the bubble were two of the worst seasons in the club's history. BFC, perhaps more than anyone else, missed their faithful and the magic of Kanteerava.
On their return, they had to earn it - the belief, trust, hope, and confidence - all over again. It took a while but they have done it.