Bengaluru FC Vs Mohun Bagan: Sunil Chhetri's Defensive Contribution Earns High Praise From Coach Potsangbam Renedy

Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant played out a goalless draw in the Indian Super League 2025-26 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday (March 14). After the match, Bengaluru head coach Potsangbam Renedy Singh analysed the game plan and weighed up on Sunil Chhetri's role.

A marquee clash by all means, the home outing against Mohun Bagan presented Bengaluru FC with the first chance to avenge their ISL Cup 2025 final defeat, 1-2, thanks to Jamie Maclaren's extra-time winner.

Both sides showed enough attacking intent, but defensive play dominated proceedings, and the clash in front of a capacity Bengaluru crowd ended in a stalemate. The result helped Bengaluru FC secure a valuable point even as the visitors dropped points for the first time this season.

Bengaluru FC's Defence: A Collective Effort

The Blues marked their territory well and also created enough opportunities, but they had to settle for a second draw in five outings.

At the post-match press conference, the former India captain hailed the team's defensive discipline but lamented their inability to make the most out of chances.

"So, when you defend, we all defend together, right?” replied Renedy, when asked about the end product. A midfield maestro during his playing days, the 46-year-old emphasised that defending is and will always be a collective responsibility for his side.

The Mariners from Kolkata had arrived after winning their first four matches convincingly. Despite the draw, they remained at the top of the ISL standings with 13 points, while Bengaluru FC moved to sixth with eight points from five matches.

Having played for both Kolkata giants -- East Bengal and Mohun Bagan -- the Manipuri knew the task at hand, and to counter Mariners' attacking play, Bengaluru needed to stay compact. That's how the match played, and in a way, a 0-0 result was a favourable result for the 2015-16 champions.

The Bengaluru FC coach acknowledged that while the team would take positives from the performance against Bagan, the next match will present a different challenge. On March 22, they will face Inter Kashi. The ISL debutants take on Mumbai City on Sunday, and a win against the former champions will help Kashi match Bengaluru's points haul.

"Then again, we know that it's not going to be the same game when we play Inter Kashi next, so yes, we take all the positives from today,” he added.

Even MBSG coach Segio Lobera admitted that this was the toughest game they've played this season so far. And he's not wrong actually. The Mariners had won their first four matches in the tournament quite convincingly and were coming as favourites in the clash. However, the BFC defense was just overpowered at home.

“This is the most difficult game we have played till now. But I believe we should have scored the goal; we created many chances,” MBSG head coach Sergio Lobera said at the press conference.

A Different Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri missed a couple of chances, but the head coach praised the veteran forward for his defensive contribution in the cagey affair, a fixture which could go either way.

"Even though he's 42, he has to come and defend, and that's what he did today," Renedy discussed the role played by India's all-time leading scorer. "For whatever time he was there, he was trying to defend."

In the 75th minute, the BFC skipper was substituted by Monirul Molla, while Suresh Wangjam came in for Argentine Braian Sanchez.

The head coach also credited other players, especially the midfielders. "When Monirul came, when Suresh came, and Vinith [Venkatesh], they all defended together and created chances too, so that's a plus point."

While the stalemate meant neither side could pocket all three available points, Renedy believed the team's collective defensive effort and ability to create opportunities remained encouraging signs moving forward.

Renedy was instrumental in India's Nehru Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup wins in 2007 and 2008, respectively. He had previously served as an interim head coach at East Bengal in the 2021-22 season and at Bengaluru in 2023-24 after Simon Grayson's departure.