Indian Super League (ISL) defending champions Bengaluru FC (BFC) were held to a goalless draw by NorthEast United in their first match of the 2019-20 ISL season.
In a game played in rainy conditions, Bengaluru FC were unable to breach a resolute NorthEast United defence.
The Blues controlled the first half after lining up in the familiar 4-3-3 formation. Udanta missed a glorious chance shooting wide with just the goalkeeper to beat, and Sunil Chhetri had a shot saved by NorthEast keeper Subhashish Chowdhury in the 43rd minute. New signee Aashique Kuruniyan showed glimpses of promise playing at left back.
North East United FC threatened through Uruguayan forward Martin Chaves who forced Bengaluru keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu into a sharp save in the 21st minute. Ghanian international striker Asamoah Gyan had a goal ruled out for offside and hit the bar after a sweeping counter-attacking move.
Nishu Kumar forced Subashish into a sharp save with a volley from outside the box as Bengaluru pressed for a breakthrough goal.
Eugenson Lyngdoh, who returned to the BFC club after two years, came off the bench in the 81st minute but the game petered out in the final stages with few chances for either side.
Bengaluru FC missed the presence of Spanish striker Miku who left the club. Manuel Onwu, starting as the lone striker, struggled to impose himself on the game.
The intensity dropped as the first half wore on. The Bengaluru defence failed to clear a loose ball inside the box after the half-hour mark and Rahul Bheke's header back to Gurpreet ended up with Chaves, who slashed wide in front of an open goal.
The game opened up after the break as both teams started finding openings. Martin Chaves' rampaging run through the centre in the 52nd minute caught the Bengaluru defence off-guard. The forward found Gyan in space inside the box but the Ghanaian striker's splendid effort bounced back off the bar.
Bengaluru, however, responded by fashioning two big chances. Sunil Chhetri won a header at the back post and found Michael Onwu at point-blank range, but he could not sort his feet out in time and the danger was cleared.
A headed clearance by Mislav Komorski after the hour-mark fell to Nishu Kumar who unleashed a powerful strike at the goal which Subhasish Roy Chowdhury in the Highlanders' goal brilliantly kept out with one hand, diving to his right.
Coach Carles Cuadrat brought Eugeneson Lyngdoh on with less than 10 minutes to go as Bengaluru tried to find a late winner, but the NorthEast defence did well to close the gaps and frustrate the hosts to pick up a point.
With IANS inputs