It’s not very often that the central attraction of a football game is not the game itself, but something else. That, however, has become somewhat of a feature in games involving Bengaluru FC, especially the home ones.
West Block Blues, a fan-group of Bengaluru FC, manage to come out and outdo themselves every single time. Thursday night was no exception as that trend continued at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru as the home side hosted Kerala Blasters.
It was a thrilling encounter as both sides were much in the game up until the 90-minute mark and it was courtesy of two quick goals in injury time that Bengaluru FC came out on top. Miku and Udanta Singh scored in the 91st and 93rd minutes respectively, to seal the victory. The result meant that Bengaluru FC ended the league stage on the top of the ISL table, and marched on to the semifinals with a record tally of 40 points.
Another banner depicted Bengaluru FC as Popeye, knocking out Kerala Blasters, who have been depicted as Bluto.
The West Block Blues were at it again as they cheered the home team on throughout the game. They have become an integral part of the success that Bengaluru FC enjoyed this year as they are indeed the ‘Twelfth Man’.
Kerala's Manjappada may have pipped the Blues for the 'Fan Club of the Year' award at the Indian Sports Honours, but the West Block Blues came out with posters and banners that game the yellow army some real competition.
With two I-League and two Fed Cup trophies to their name, Bengaluru FC seem to have indeed become the "Southern capital of trophies".
From the depiction of the famous cartoon characters 'Popeye' and 'Bluto' to a clever pun on a famous video by Kerala Blasters' co-owner Sachin Tendulkar, the Blues seem to have left no stone unturned in this Southern Derby.
The West Block Blues, however, are far from done now as they still have to see their team through the two-legged semi-finals. Within the next couple of days, it will become clear who Bengaluru FC face in the last four stage.
