ISL 2026-27: Substitute Vinith Venkatesh scores in 93rd minute after Sunil Chhetri assist as Bengaluru FC earn 1-1 draw vs NorthEast United FC in Guwahati.
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Bengaluru FC vs NorthEast United FC (Photo: ISL)
Bengaluru FC scored a late equaliser through substitute Vinith Venkatesh in the 93rd minute to earn a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.
Jithin MS had given the hosts the lead in the first half, but Vinith’s late strike, after a pass from Sunil Chhetri, helped the visitors take one point from the away game.
NorthEast United take early lead through Jithin
The match started well for Bengaluru FCAshique Kuruniyan missed a good chance after a pass from Borja Martinez, while Ricky Meetei shot over the bar after Ryan Williams’ crossNorthEast United also created chances as Alaaeddine Ajaraie’s shot from outside the box was saved by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Slowly, the Highlanders came into the gameJithin and Ajaraie both came close to scoring before the first goal came in the 15th minuteGonzalez made a fast break and set up Jithin, who finished with a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-0 for NorthEast United.
After the goal, Bengaluru FC tried to come backNorthEast goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh saved shots from Soham Varshneya and Borja MartinezBorja tested Gurmeet again with a shot from the left side, while Ashique’s header went wide from close rangeOn the other side, Ajaraie and Jithin missed their chances as NorthEast went into half-time with a 1-0 lead.
Second half sees chances at both ends
The second half started with action at both endsGurmeet saved Borja’s close-range shot, while Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved two shots from Ethyan as NorthEast tried to double their lead.
Bengaluru FC suffered an injury blow when Shivaldo Singh had to go off and Sandro Embalo came in as his replacementThe Blues kept pushing forward but Ryan Williams and Varshneya could not find the target.
NorthEast United also had to make injury changesParthib Gogoi replaced goalscorer Jithin, while Redeem Tlang came on for Macarton NicksonEven after the changes, the hosts kept attackingEthyan’s shot was blocked after being set up by Ajaraie, while Abdul Rabeeh’s shot from outside the box was also blocked.
Chhetri and Vinith combine for late equaliser
Bengaluru FC coach brought on Sunil Chhetri and Suresh Wangjam to find the equaliserChhetri missed a chance from inside the box after Borja’s cross, while Manuel Iriondo’s header from a corner went wideNorthEast tried to hold on to their lead and Ajaraie missed a free-kick over the bar.
With five minutes of added time, Bengaluru FC kept pressing hardVinith first missed from the centre of the box after a pass from Monirul MollaBut he made no mistake just moments later.
Deep into stoppage time, NorthEast keeper Gurmeet Singh clashed with Eneko Satrustegui and dropped the ballChhetri picked up the loose ball and passed it to Vinith inside the boxVinith finished calmly into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-1 and earn Bengaluru FC a valuable point away from home.
