SC Bengaluru 1 (Asif OM 34’)
beat
Sreenidi Deccan FC 0
AIFF Media Team
BENGALURU: Sporting Club Bengaluru’s 48-day wait for bagging their second three-pointer in the I-League 2024-25 ended on Friday, January 24, 2025, when they edged Sreenidi Deccan FC 1-0 at the Bangalore Football Stadium.
The winners scored the only goal of the match through Asif OM in the 34th minute.
SC Bengaluru’s only other victory in the ongoing campaign came on December 7, 2024, at the same venue against Dempo Sports Club. The win is somewhat a relief for the home team as they were languishing at the bottom of the table before this match.
The three points against Sreenidi have now taken SC Bengaluru to eight points from nine matches and elevated them to the 11th position thus relegating Aizawl FC to the unenviable last spot in the 12-team competition. Sreenidi remain static at the sixth place with 11 points in their kitty from 10 outings.
With the threat of relegation looming large, SC Bengaluru did display the sense of urgency that was perhaps missing from their earlier matches. They were benefited by the gaps left in the defence by Sreenidi and it allowed the hosts’ attackers, especially Asif and Henry Kisekka, to torment the rival area more than once. They had their chances – but either the goalkeeper, Aryan Lamba, made a few good saves, or the strikers were found wanting.
In between, Sreenidi also had their share of chances, but those were not enough to create too much trouble in the SC Bengaluru defence.
The goal scored by midfielder Asif OM in the 34th minute was a gem and didn’t come against the run of play. By then the home side had made enough noises in the rival area to call for a lead. It finally came when hardworking Henry Kisekka made his way through the left and toed the ball in the middle. Asif received the ball from his Ugandan teammate well outside the box and being unmarked surprisingly, took his time to unleash a right footer that beat goalkeeper Aryan Lamba to find the corner of the net.
