AFC Cup: With back against wall, Bengaluru FC hope for reaction against Aizawl FC & some luck

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, May 1: Bengaluru FC target six points from their two remaining games of the AFC Cup group stages, but they also need a bit of luck to carry them through the knockout stages of the continental competition.

BFC and New Radiant are locked on nine points from four games in Group E, but the Maldivian side top the table owing to a better goal difference. Although it's the head-to-head record that separates two teams on the same points, BFC and New Radiant pulled off home victories against each other in the previous two match-days. While BFC won 1-0, New Radiant stunned the 2016 finalists 2-0 to steal the top spot in Group E.

Now, Bengaluru will go all out for the six points against Aizawl FC and Abahani Dhaka while hoping that New Radiant drop points along the way. First up is the game against Aizawl on Wednesday (May 2), Bengaluru's last home game of the season. On the same day, New Radiant will host the Bangladeshi side in Male. Only the table toppers will qualify.

"The last game was not how we expected - given the result of our performances," Bengaluru coach Albert Roca said on the eve of the match. "Now, we need to win our last two games - depending on that to qualify. As a team, we never give up. Now we see it as one more challenge - to win the last two games. For sure, the events we had in the last game were not the image of my team. We have two games to finish the campaign. Tomorrow, we are facing Aizawl FC and we have to go all out."

Roca admitted his team took it a bit easy against New Radiant after clinching the Super Cup in Bhubaneswar a few days prior to the tie in Maldives on April 25. "It's true that after winning a trophy and reaching the final of the ISL, we were a bit tired mentally," Roca said. "We did not relax too much and this is a competition in which we reached the final once and we want to reach again. People in our team know we have only two games more and they have to do everything to compete and try for that qualification. For sure, we're human beings. Sometimes they forget. I think it was a new challenge and a new goal after the Super Cup win. If you are not giving your 100 per cent, possibilities of winning is less. It's not about relaxing, we have to be at the 100 per cent. Even if we are at the 90 per cent level, we will find it difficult to win. After the Super Cup, we didn't have time to prepare much but don't want to talk too much about it. Our mentality has to be high. So tomorrow is a new challenge and I would like my team to change the things around."

BFC captain Sunil Chhetri echoed his coach's views - that all is not lost and they need to just show up in their remaining two games. "We need to make a lot of improvements (against Aizawl tomorrow)," Chhetri said. "As a team, we didn't turn up and give a good performance. It was the worst performance in our whole season you could say. I don't think any of us turned up that game. We sat and couldn't come out with a single positive thing except for the performance of Moya (Lalthuammawia), the goalkeeper. There was no unity and we were not cohesive in the attack. We have to show a reaction and that's what we are going to do tomorrow. We will play as if it's the final."

Aizawl, on the other hand, do not have a chance of qualifying for the next round. Coach Santosh Kashyap looks at their remaining games as a good exposure for their young squad.

"The first target for me when I took over as the coach two months ago was to save the side from relegation in the I-League and now we play the AFC Cup with no chance of qualification," Kashyap said. "But excellent exposure for the youngsters to play international teams and a strong team like Bengaluru. To be honest, it is difficult to beat BFC in Bengaluru. We will definitely do well and it will be an entertaining match."

Bengaluru FC vs Aizawl FC

AFC Cup Group E match

Live from Sree Kanteerava Stadium

On AFC Cup Facebook Page

At 8 pm (Wednesday, May 2)