An injury-time winner from Shankar Sampangiraj saved Bengaluru FC (BFC) the blushes against a fighting Maziya Sports & Recreational Club here on Tuesday.
Maziya punched well above its weight in this opening AFC Cup fixture for both teams, but BFC sneaked through after Sampangiraj gave his side an unassailable 2-1 lead just minutes before the final whistle.
It was a particularly heart-breaking result for the visitor, as Maziya coach Ali Suzain described it, as his side came mighty close to drawing — and even winning — the tie.
BFC went up 1-0 after a terrific Sunil Chhetri header in the 67th minute, and the writing seemed to be on the wall. A lapse in concentration from centre-back John Johnson, however, allowed Maziya back into the match. The Englishman got into an awkward position in the box, and stopped the ball with an outstretched hand.
The penalty, awarded in the 88th minute, was calmly converted by Mohamed Umair.
It could have been worse for BFC, with Nashid missing a simple opportunity a few seconds after the restart.
A ball across goal left an unmarked Nashid near the far-post, but the nervy striker could not make contact.
Suzain heaped praise on his goalkeeper Imran, who pulled off a series of acrobatic saves to keep his team in the fray.
“He is one of the best goalkeepers in the region,” Suzain said. The coach was gracious in defeat, and complimented Chhetri on converting a tough chance.
“BFC deserves all the credit, but I believe that we deserved at least a point,” he said.
The result: Bengaluru FC 2 (Sunil Chhetri 67, Shankar Sampangiraj 90+3) bt Maziya Sports & Recreational Club 1 (Mohamed Umair 88).