Bengaluru beat Kerala in ISL tie
Bengaluru: Miku and Udanta Singh produced two superb late finishes to give Bengaluru FC a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.
This means that last year's finalists Kerala failed to make the Indian Super League semifinals this season while debutants Bengaluru finished firmly on top with a mammoth 40 points.
Miku ran onto Daniel Segovia's flick and finished into the far corner an exceptionally controlled shot from a tricky angle.
Udanta then decided to cut in with the time afforded to him and smashed a left-footer past Paul Rachubka as Bengaluru FC scored two stoppage time goals.
Both players could have scored earlier had they not missed glorious chances in the second half.
Udanta failed to hit the target when all it needed was the right connection with his header after a brilliant cross from Toni Dovale.
Then it was Miku who raced through on goal but chose to strike from an awkward angle rather than lay it off for Allwyn George who had made a fine run. The ball whipped past the far post.
Things could have been different had Kerala Blasters taken their chances. CK Vineeth had the chance to test Gurpreet Singh seconds after Miku's initial miss but his shot was blocked as he took too long to pull the trigger.
Sunil Chhetri made his intentions clear as early as the 11th minute when his brilliant strike from 30 yards out just crept past the goal.
Kerala immediately replied with a chance of their own but Milan Singh completely missed his shy at goal from Jackichand Singh's cross.
Jackichand's lively presence was missed after the 25th minute when he had to go off for a groin injury.
Soon enough, his replacement Prasanth K was the recipient of a fine cross from Sandesh Jhingan but failed to work the goalkeeper.
It was a cagey half which ended with Blasters keeper Paul Rachubka putting his body on the line to stop Nishu Kumar scoring. Kumar was through on goal and only a timely intervention stopped him.
Chhetri had another attempt near the hour mark but couldn't direct it into the net and the second half was more about when the Blasters would start throwing men forward in numbers.
When they eventually attacked Bengaluru, the home side tried to exploit the spaces left behind. They started pumping crosses into the box with Dovale and Dimas Delgado afforded spaces out wide.
Kerala resisted but finally gave way when Miku scored a minute after four minutes of stoppage time were added. And then Udanta added to their misery.
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Selling Army's valour for political mileage: Cong targets BJP over PM's pic on railway tickets
Bhopal, May 19 (PTI): The Congress on Monday alleged that using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo on Railways tickets featuring 'Operation Sindoor' is like selling the valour of the Army as a product for political gains.
Madhya Pradesh Leader of the Opposition, Umang Singhar, posted a ticket with Modi's picture on his X account.
"Even the valour of the Army is being sold like a product for political gains. Here's a fresh example of how the Central government has become advertisement-dependent. Operation Sindoor is being used as a tool for the Prime Minister's promotion on railway tickets," he stated.
"Until now, only BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh were disrespecting the Army, but now even the Prime Minister has joined their ranks," he alleged.
He was apparently referring to controversies surrounding two ministers from Madhya Pradesh over their remarks on Col Sophiya Qureshi and the armed forces.
The BJP faced a barrage of criticism after state Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah purportedly termed Colonel Quereshi, the face of media briefings on Operation Sindoor, a 'sister of terrorists', during his public speech.
The controversial remarks not only invited wide-scale condemnation from various sections of society and the Opposition, but also led to the registration of an FIR against the minister on the orders of the High Court.
Even before the political firestorm could die down, MP Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda said on Friday that Indian armed forces and all soldiers are 'natmastak' (bowing down with their heads at the feet) at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a befitting reply to terrorists and Pakistan.
He claimed his remarks were twisted.
In further embarrassment to the BJP, its first-time MLA from Rewa district, Narendra Prajapati, has claimed that the UN had ordered India to "cease fire" with Pakistan.
"सेना के पराक्रम को भी अपनी राजनीति चमकाने के लिए एक प्रोडक्ट की तरह बेचा जा रहा है"
— Umang Singhar (@UmangSinghar) May 19, 2025
केंद्र सरकार कितनी विज्ञापनजीवी हो चुकी है, इसका ताज़ा उदाहरण देखिए — रेलवे टिकट पर "ऑपरेशन सिंदूर" का इस्तेमाल प्रधानमंत्री के प्रचार के तौर पर किया जा रहा है।
अब तक तो सिर्फ मध्यप्रदेश के… pic.twitter.com/6oMP9IJ912
