Bengaluru FC beat Sporting Club Delhi 3-2 in the Indian Super League opener at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday, with Borja Martínez scoring twice and Menno Koch grabbing an 89th-minute winner after an own goal that had put Delhi 2-1 ahead at half-time.
Bengaluru, India: The 2026-27 Indian Super League season began with a match that refused to settle, and it took until the 89th minute to find an answer. Bengaluru FC, fourth last season and led by Pep Muñoz in his first full campaign as head coach, hosted Sporting Club Delhi, coached by Tomasz Tchórz. Neither side could hold a lead for long.
Martínez opens, Delhi hit back
Bengaluru took the lead in the 22nd minute through Borja Martínez. Delhi needed only four minutes to reply. Rodriguinho, the Brazilian striker who scored seven goals on Delhi’s run to the Durand Cup semi-finals, levelled in the 26th minute.
Six minutes later, the game turned. Menno Koch put the ball into his own net in the 32nd minute, and Delhi led 2-1. They took that advantage into half-time.
Martínez levels, Koch makes amends
Bengaluru found their equaliser in the 75th minute, when Martínez struck again for his second of the night to make it 2-2.
Then came the moment that decided it. In the 89th minute, with a draw looking likely, Koch scored at the right end. He finished the night with an own goal and the winner, a swing that few players experience in a single match.
What it means for both sides
For Bengaluru, it was a winning start after trailing at the break and coming from behind twice. It also gave Indian football a lift after a difficult week, in which the national team was beaten 6-1 by Uruguay in Kolkata.
For Delhi, who field one of the youngest squads in the league, there was a lead at the interval and nothing to show for it at the end. The performance offered plenty to build on, and the ending offered a hard lesson in how quickly an opening night can turn.
Result: Bengaluru FC 3 (Martínez 22′, 75′, Koch 89′) Sporting Club Delhi 2 (Rodriguinho 26′, Koch o.g. 32′). Half-time: Bengaluru FC 1-2 Sporting Club Delhi.
Competition: Indian Super League 2026-27, opening match, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, Saturday 10 October 2026.
