Shankar's late strike spurs BFC

Football AFC Cup: Hosts edge past Maziya in thriller

 Bengaluru FC started their AFC Cup campaign in a nervy fashion as they edged out Maziya Sports and Recreation, Maldives, 2-1 in a nail-biting opening group stage game at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday.

Sunil Chhetri (67th minute) and Shankar Sampingiraj (90+3) scored for the Blues, while Nashid found the back of the net for the visitors in the 88th minute through a penalty kick.
Hanging on to that Chhetri goal, BFC were pegged back when the Maldives side found a late equaliser. With the clock ticking down, BFC needed something more than the ordinary to pocket three points. The 20-year-old Shankar proved to be the difference as the Kolar boy rose high to outclass the Maziya defence and head home an Eugenson Lyngdoh free-kick, sending the crowd into raptures.

BFC’s coach Ashley Westwood brought out his best men for the opening encounter as Beikhokhei Beingaichho and Rino Anto came in for Thoi Singh and Keegan Pereira. Curtis Osano made his return to the line-up after missing the league action to a suspension as the home side adopted a 4-3-3 formation.

Maziya’s coach Ali Suzian showed faith in his front ine as the Brazilian Pablo Rodriguez paired up with Maldivian player of the year Asadhulla Abdulla, while Bulgarian Zhivko Todorov marshalled their rearguard in a 4-4-2 setup.
The game started in an attacking fashion with both teams trying to impose their superiority. The visitors came close to reaping the benefits of their persistent attack in the 11th minute as Rino conceded a free-kick 30 yards from the goal.  Rodriguez headed home the Mohamed Umair free-kick but to their dismay, the assistant referee flagged him off-side.

 A minute later, Robin Singh came close to opening his account in the continental championship. Chhetri found his partner inside the box with a cheeky flick but Robin squandered the chance as his volley went over the crossbar.

Minutes later, Bengaluru were once again close to taking the lead. This time, it was Beingaichho who combined well with Siam Hanghal to provide the latter with a chance on the edge of the penalty box. But Maldives goalkeeper Imran kept out a fierce Hanghal strike as the score stayed goalless at half-time.

The second half saw BFC  come out with renewed energy as they notched up the opening goal in style. Rino, who was kept busy on the right flank, found Chhetri inside the box with a juicy cross and he made no mistake in slotting home the opener.

A John Johnson handball then gave Maziya a chance to  equalise. Nashid made no mistake with a calm spotkick, ruffling the BFC feathers, before Shankar rose to the occasion right at the very end.