Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri’s last-minute penalty helped his side snatch a dramatic 1-1 draw against 10-man East Bengal in an Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. 

The match saw East Bengal take the lead early, only for Bengaluru to equalize in the dying seconds of regulation time, securing a crucial point in the race for the play-offs.

East Bengal’s Cameroonian forward Raphael Messi Bouli put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute. The goal came from a scramble inside the box after a duel between Bengaluru’s Fanai and East Bengal midfielder Saul Crespo. The ball fell to Bouli, who pounced on the opportunity to give his team an early advantage.

Despite taking the lead, East Bengal struggled to extend their advantage. Winger Vishnu Puthiya Valappill had a golden opportunity to double the lead around the half-hour mark following a defensive mix-up by Bengaluru’s Suresh Singh Wangjam, but he failed to hit the target from inside the six-yard box. 

Moments later, Dimitrios Diamantakos had another chance to extend the lead but was denied by Bengaluru’s goalkeeper Gurpreet Sandhu, who made a crucial save.

In the dying moments of the first half, East Bengal’s Greek striker Diamantakos was sent off for head-butting Bengaluru’s Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera in an off-the-ball incident, leaving the hosts with 10 men for the second half.

Bengaluru FC capitalized on their numerical advantage after the break, mounting relentless pressure on East Bengal. However, despite their dominance, Bengaluru struggled to break down the resolute defense of the hosts. East Bengal, even with a man down, still posed a threat on the counter-attack. 

In the 75th minute, David Lalhlansanga found himself one-on-one with Gurpreet, but the Bengaluru keeper made a crucial save to keep his team in the game.

As Bengaluru pushed for an equalizer, they were thwarted twice by the woodwork. Substitute Siva Sakthi hit the post with a shot from close range in the 76th minute, followed by Aleksander Jovanovic’s header from a Noguera cross in the 80th minute that also bounced off the post.

With just seconds remaining, Bengaluru FC was awarded a controversial penalty when East Bengal’s Nishu Kumar was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. Chhetri, known for his cool-headedness in clutch moments, stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick past East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, securing a valuable point for Bengaluru.

The result sees Bengaluru reclaim third place in the standings with 38 points from 23 matches, while East Bengal’s hopes of making the play-offs were extinguished, as they remain in eighth with 28 points from the same number of games. The draw ended East Bengal’s season on a disappointing note, while Bengaluru FC keeps its play-off ambitions alive.

In the aftermath, Chhetri, with his trademark composure, proved to be the difference-maker, ensuring that his team maintained its top-four position as the race for the ISL play-offs intensifies.