Guwahati, Oct 30 Substitute Vinith Venkatesh struck in the 93rd minute as Bengaluru FC fought back to hold NorthEast United FC to a 1-1 draw in their Indian Super League encounter at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Friday.
Jithin MS had put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, finishing a fast break with a left-footed strike into the bottom-left corner after being set up by González.
Bengaluru pushed for an equaliser, with Ashique Kuruniyan, Borja Martínez and Soham Varshneya creating opportunities, but goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh kept the visitors at bay. At the other end, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied Alaaeddine Ajaraie and Jithin as NorthEast went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Both goalkeepers remained busy after the restart, with Gurmeet denying Borja from close range and Gurpreet making two saves to keep out Ethyan’s attempts.
Bengaluru introduced Sunil Chhetri and Suresh Wangjam in search of a breakthrough, while NorthEast made changes of their own, including bringing on Parthib Gogoi and Redeem Tlang.
The visitors increased the pressure in the closing stages. Chhetri missed from inside the box after a Borja cross, while Manuel Iriondo headed wide from a corner.
NorthEast looked set to hold on for all three points, but Bengaluru found a late equaliser in stoppage time. Gurmeet collided with Eneko Satrustegui and spilled the ball, allowing Chhetri to collect possession and pick out Vinith inside the box. The substitute made no mistake, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner to rescue a point for the visitors.
(PTI News)
