BENGALURU: Bengaluru FC, despite not playing at their best, have managed to collect a point or three from games throughout the season. On Tuesday, it was one of those games where BFC failed to play to their potential.
Yet, they left the pitch with three points against Maldives’ New Radiant SC from an AFC Cup Group E game at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.Nishu Kumar scored in injury time (90+1) as BFC beat the Maldives champs 1-0 to go top of the table with nine points.
With the Super Cup quarterfinal against NEROCA coming up, BFC gaffer Albert Roca continued his trust in the young brigade. But an injury to defender Juanan Gonzalez forced him to make three changes with Harmanjot Khabra, Boithang Haokip and Joyner Lourenco coming in the starting XI.
However, it was one of those rare evenings when the Bengaluru midfield was completely dominated.
In Radiant, BFC met the ablest opponents — in the AFC Cup thus far — who dominated the proceedings in the first half, but failed to find the goal. The visitors made early inroads as BFC failed to take the matter into their own hands. Despite Radiant taking control, the scoreline remained unchanged. Struggling to get control of the ball, BFC came close in the 15th minute.
Following Daniel Segovia’s run towards goal, Thongkosiem Haokip found the ball after a defensive clearance. But Semboi’s shot was cleared away by Haroon Amiri’s header. It was a midfield battle then on and despite making good inroads,
New Radiant failed to find the breakthrough, thanks to the efforts of Erik Paartalu, who started as a center-back.
The trend changed slightly in the second half as BFC displayed more ambition. Sunil Chhetri replaced Semboi, who had a forgettable game, to bolster the attack. Though his presence helped BFC press hard and find chances, the goal was hard to come by.
With more urgency in their game, the home team got an opportunity in the 84th minute. Chhetri’s pace left the defence clueless but his approach met with obstacle inside the box. However, the penalty claim was denied by the referee.
Just when it seemed the game would finish goalless, BFC found the back of the net in injury time. Chhetri was once again the savior as he got the better of the Radiant defence and went past a couple of defenders. With only the goalkeeper to beat, he passed it to Nishu, who was in better position. He put the ball into an empty net.
krishnendu@newindianexpress.com