ISL wrap: Bengaluru FC’s Vinith Venkatesh underlines why Indian clubs should develop players from own academies | Football News
Talks of ‘trust the process’ in Indian football are big but you seldom see the fruits of that trust or process. When a nineteen-year-old scored on his debut Indian Super League match for the club whose academy he joined as an eight-year-old, that process was proven to be the winner.Meet Vinith Venkatesh, Bengaluru FC’s latest star from their rich roster of academy products. Playing against giants East Bengal in their opening match of the season, Venkatesh’s goal was the difference between the two sides.
The composure that he demonstrated to finish off the move showed the teenager’s confidence. First of all, he didn’t get drawn in the defence. He stayed on the right of East Bengal’s box and waited. Waited for the ball to be rolled his way. And when it came, he knew exactly what needed to be done. He took a touch forward and just drilled it into the left-side netting of the East Bengal goal, giving the goalkeeper no chance. It was almost as if he’d finished off this move countless times in training. He knew just what to do and executed it with perfection.
Debut game ✅#ISLPOTM 🌟
A memorable outing for young #VinithVenkatesh! #BFCEBFC #ISL #LetsFootball #ISLonJioCinema #ISLonSports18 #BengaluruFC | @bengalurufc @WestBlockBlues @JioCinema @Sports18 pic.twitter.com/e70Gkamwuz
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 14, 2024
It all came down to remarkable composure – something that top Indian footballers lack in front of goal, especially on the big stage. It’s the reason why the question of ‘who next after Sunil Chhetri’ will continue to hound Indian football for a while. It was only fitting for Venkatesh that Chhetri rushed to envelop him with a congratulatory hug on the pitch.
“It was a really special night for me, scoring against such a big team in my own city. I feel really happy,” Venkatesh said of his goal.
Academy product
Hailing from Austin Town, a football-crazy locality of Bengaluru, Vinith fell in love with the game as a youngster. As an eight-year-old, he made it to Bengaluru FC’s first-ever U9-U10 academy team in the club’s inception year of 2013. Wanting to form a truly local team, Bengaluru had drafted in youngsters via scouting done their coaches at local grounds. He gradually progressed every year into a higher age category and was part of the reserve team and B Team between 2021 and 2023. After being named ‘Reserve Player of the Year’, he was drafted into the first team earlier this year.
Venkatesh was given a chance at the Durand Cup, and after scoring against both Mohammedan SC and Mohun Bagan, showed he was ready for the big stage. There was no doubt in coach Gerard Zaragoza’s mind that he deserved a spot in his team for the ISL.
His goal against East Bengal – making it 3 in 3 against the Kolkata Big 3 – was a testament to BFC’s drive to produce quality players. Their owner Parth Jindal summed up the emotion perfectly in his tweet.
Post-match celebrations 🫶#BFCEBFC #ISL #LetsFootball #BengaluruFC #EastBengalFC | @bengalurufc pic.twitter.com/mQKpbJVrf3
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 14, 2024
“When someone who we have groomed from the age of 8 years old through our youth academy comes into the playing XI 11 years later and scores the only goal of the game one can truly say that the process has been followed correctly and the wait has been worth it – great start to the season – wish you many more goals Vinith for us and more importantly for India!,” he wrote on X.
While Zaragoza was proud of the youngster, he remained cautious in his praise, saying he needs to continue in a nurturing yet disciplined environment to turn his potential into performance. “He has quality, but he needs to improve his physique, his movements, and his tactical understanding of the game. We’ll work with him to make him better” Zaragoza said after the match.
Punjab stun Kerala & other results
Minnows Punjab FC had a dream start to their ISL campaign, beating hosts Kerala Blasters in a roller-coaster opening encounter. After a goalless 86 minutes, the visitors went ahead through a Luca Majcen penalty. Kerala thought they managed to steal a draw when Jesus Jimenez headed home the equaliser two minutes into added time but Filip Mrzljak changed the script with a winner in the fifth minute of added time.
In the other matches, Sergio Lobera’s Odisha FC suffered a narrow 2-3 loss to a stellar Chennaiyin FC while fey Northeast United won their opening match against tournament debutants Mohammedan SC.
