A Sunil Chhetri double that included a stunning, acrobatic volley for an opener sent Bengaluru FC to the semifinals of the Federation Cup as Ashley Westwood’s team romped to a 2-1 win over Pune FC at the Tilak Maidan, on Monday.

Going into the game needing just a draw to secure a spot in the last four, Bengaluru chose to do things with aplomb. A first half that looked like meandering toward goalless end was set ablaze in the last three minutes with two goals.

The first, an absolute gem, came from one of the many corners Bengaluru had earned which told of the incessant pressure the blues had Pune under. An onrushing Amrinder Singh managed to get a hand on Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s take only for the ball to come off John Johnson’s head. Perfectly placed in the box, Chhetri made most of the loop, smashing home the volley acrobatically.

Just when Bengaluru thought they had the vital goal to take to the dressing room at half-time, the blues earned a second. A few exchanges in the Bengaluru FC half later, Lyngdoh needled a perfect pass for Rooney who was through on goal. But that was before Amrinder’s charge ended up with the ’keeper’s hands catching Rooney’s feet in the box. Referee CR Srikrishna pointed to the spot and Chhetri scored his fourth of the tournament, putting it beyond the ’keeper whose correct guess was redundant.

Westwood handed Robin Singh his first start of the Cup and the striker who scored in Bengaluru’s 1-0 win over Shillong Lajong, worked his socks off with Rooney for company up ahead.

Goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte, who has had a solid run, was at his safe best spare the blip that gave Pune their goal in the 86th minute. Nikhil Kadam’s shot from the right took a deflection off Keegan Pereira before soaring high into the box. Making the most of Ralte’s indecisiveness to deal with the situation, Thongkosiem Haokip managed to get his head to the ball which bounced before rolling in rather softly.

But as has been the norm over the last few games, Bengaluru saw their lead out without any sign of panic. The defence was solid, the midfield constantly looking to create chances and the strikers, well, taking those chances. The win makes Bengaluru FC the first team to come out of the group and the ongoing games in Group A will soon decide who the Blues faces in the semifinals on Friday.