Indian Super League (ISL) club Bengaluru FC qualified for the AFC Cup (Group D, South Zone) after registering a 1-0 win over Maldivian club Eagles at the National Stadium here on Sunday evening. New signer Jayesh Rane scored in the 26th minute. Sunil Chhetri-led Bengaluru FC are now drawn into Group D along with ISL partners ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB), Maldives’ Majia Sports and Recreation and Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings for their match against (ATKMB) on 18 August. Will start with
Bengaluru FC’s first real threat came in the 11th minute when Clayton Silva bowled a good ball from a corner and Alan Costa nodded it in a dangerous area where Yrondu Mousavu-King scored to find Maldivian goalkeeper Mohamed Faisal. – Ward led. .
The very next minute Bengaluru FC took another good move. Captain Chhetri ran from the left and shoved the ball through the edge of the box. Silva propelled himself into the air and managed to meet the ball but he was not in control of his effort and the ball went over the crossbar.
Minutes later, Eagles got their chance and Ismail put the ball into the back of the net but was declared offside to the relief of Bengaluru FC. Marco Pezzuoli’s team, however, kept the pressure up and it didn’t take long for them to advance.
The 2018/19 ISL champions broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. A throw-in from Sarthak Golui hit a Maldivian player on the head and the ball landed on an unmarked Rane, who made no mistake and beat the goalkeeper to Bengaluru FC.
Bengaluru FC suffered a major setback in the 44th minute. A Maldivian corner in the box and Golui almost scored his own goal as the ball went dangerously out of his leg. Bengaluru FC thanked their goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for the narrow escape.
In the second half, Bengaluru FC controlled the game and did not give Maldives any chance to come back. It was all until the 67th minute when the Eagles came dangerously close to scoring: after successfully dodging two defenders from Bengaluru FC, a Maldivian attacker failed to finish to perfection as his shot went off target.
Bengaluru FC came close to scoring their second goal in the 84th minute. Chhetri found substitute Augustine in the box but the latter’s curler went over the crossbar.
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