AFC Cup 2017: Bengaluru FC claim historic win over April 25th SC on another rainy night at Kanteerava

BENGALURU FC HAVE done it again.

Defying all expectations, they emerged triumphant over North Korean side April 25th Sports Club in Sree Kanteerava Stadium tonight amidst a washout.

It was raining in fits and starts throughout the day in the Karnataka capital, but that did not stop a sizeable turnout from the Bengaluru FC faithful.

Albert Roca turned out a side heavy on experience, with Gurpreet Singh making his debut in the goal, along with newly signed foreigners Erik Paartalu and Antonio Dovale. Facing off with a 4.25 side that took BFC a bit seriously, evident from their start without tournament top scorer Kim Yu-song, Bengaluru FC made it clear from minute one that they meant business.

Sunil Chhetri and Udanta made a couple of darting runs early on to disturb the shape of the opponent defence. After a few minutes, the visitors seemed to be getting their rhythm back. The BFC defenders were soon resorting to a number of fouls to keep their box safe. But suddenly, things changed.

Udanta had gotten hold of a ball from Harmanjot Khabra and as he sprinted into the box his marker brought him down. The referee pointed towards the penalty spot. Captain Sunil Chhetri, calm as always, put it away. Bengaluru FC suddenly had a lead, just about half an hour into the game, and suddenly everyone was wondering if an upset could be on the cards.

Sunil got a chance to double the lead, letting fly from the edge of the box, but 4.25 keeper Ri Kang did great to tip the ball over the bar with just a couple of fingers. At half-time, Bengaluru FC were leading 1-0.

Some time into the second half, the rain suddenly intensified. Soon the Kanteerava pitch was almost submerged in water and it was difficult for the ball to move around. But the contest continued, and the visitors were visibly struggling under the conditions.

Udanta Singh, for a while, was trying to outpace his marker on a pass. And soon after the second half began he got a brilliant ball from Sunil. He got past the nearest defender, got himself some space wit his pace and poached it right past the keeper. The Blues were now 2-0 ahead and victory was now within reach.

As the ground became increasingly unplayable, the match descended into a game of lobs and chipped balls. But the home team were navigating this better than the visitors. Bengaluru FC got their third goal 77 minutes in when Lenny Rodrigues got the ball just outside the box and sent it past the keeper.

It was a decisive result, and possibly one of the most important wins in Bengaluru FC's history. Playing with a fairly new squad after being forced to give up many of their players due to the ISL Draft retention limits, they have managed to prove that they have retained their strength. The Federation Cup winners and last year's runner ups in the AFC Cup are once again well on their way to win a difficult continental knockout tie, going into the second leg with a handsome 3-0 advantage.

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