Bengaluru FC rally to beat Sporting Club Delhi 3-2 in ISL 13 opener

Bengaluru FC came from behind to beat Sporting Club Delhi 3-2 in the Indian Super League season opener on Matchday 1 of the competition’s 13th season on October 11, 2026. Borja Martinez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Delhi seized the lead through Rodriguinho and an own goal by Menno Koch; Koch then netted in the 89th minute to complete Bengaluru’s comeback.

The match unfolded as a tale of two phases: Sporting Club Delhi dominated the first hour by crowding central areas and stretching Bengaluru wide, while Bengaluru recovered control late after tactical changes. Borja Martinez’s 22nd-minute strike began the scoring but Bengaluru were largely on the back foot until Delhi’s pattern produced a lead, including Koch’s own goal. The first half produced chances for both sides, with several Delhi openings ending in saves or misses, which kept the scoreline within reach for Bengaluru.

Tomasz Tchorz’s Delhi built its approach around outnumbering Bengaluru in midfield and then shifting play to the flanks to drag defenders out of position. That structure forced Bengaluru into a reactive posture through roughly 60 minutes and explains why the contest remained open despite Delhi creating openings. The failure to finish those openings left Delhi vulnerable when their control faltered.

Bengaluru regained a foothold after making midfield changes, most notably the introduction of Iriondo, which disrupted Delhi’s central overload. Once Bengaluru stopped surrendering the middle, Delhi’s wide-stretching tactic lost its foundation and Bengaluru began to press more consistently down the flanks. The introduction of Soham Varshneya further tilted momentum toward Bengaluru as they increased pressure on Delhi’s defence.

Delhi responded by using all available substitutes in an attempt to rebuild control, but those changes were unable to restore the first-hour dominance. Bengaluru’s alterations were targeted to specific problems, while Delhi’s substitutions appeared to be searching for any remedy rather than changing shape decisively. The comeback, therefore, was driven as much by Bengaluru’s bench solutions as by the starters on the pitch.

Borja Martinez and Ryan Williams provided the wide outlets that stretched Delhi’s back line repeatedly during Bengaluru’s late spell. Mihailo Perovic assisted the equaliser, and the article identifies him as the missing piece whose regular scoring would make wide deliveries more effective. The analysis notes that wide threat needs a finisher in the box to convert the sustained flank play into consistent goals.

Defensively, Bengaluru conceded twice, one of those goals coming via Menno Koch’s own goal, which the report frames partly as an individual error and partly as a collective consequence of Delhi’s overload forcing defenders to turn and defend toward their own goal. The piece warns that a better-organised opponent with a functioning midfield could punish the same defensive gaps more severely, and that reliance on late attacking rescues is not a sustainable way to protect ambitions for the Shield and the trophy.

The match leaves a clear task for Delhi’s coaching staff: the side’s first-hour structure worked, but when control slipped the team lacked an alternative shape to move into quickly, a deficiency the report says Tomasz Tchorz must address; if a secondary structure is not rehearsed in the coming weeks, opponents will copy Bengaluru’s recipe.