A 10-man Bengaluru FC (BFC) fell to the might of FC Istiklol and exited the AFC Cup at the inter-zone play-off final stage here on Wednesday.
Needing to win by a two-goal margin to progress to the final, BFC fell short by a few notches. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, allowing FC Istiklol to advance. Istiklol will face defending champion Air Force Club (Iraq) in the summit clash, on November 4.
“This is huge moment for football in Tajikistan. When we were part of the Soviet Union, our football was of a higher standard. But now, I feel that Tajikistan football is being revived by the success of our side,” Istiklol coach Mukhamadiev Mukhatib said.
BFC came undone after a disastrous start, conceding a penalty in the second minute. Davronov Nuriddin converted from the spot, leaving BFC with a mountain to climb.
Centre-back Rahul Bheke gave BFC a lifeline, when he headed home from a short corner. The side needed two more goals, if it was to erase the 1-0 deficit suffered in the first-leg of the tie.
Istiklol, however, posed a constant threat with its smooth, quick and efficient counter-attacks. One of these terrific plays saw BFC lose a man in Harmanjot Khabra. The right-back was hopelessly out of position as Dmitri Barkov charged forward. A desperate Khabra took out his rival with a rough, silly tackle, and was sent off with a second yellow card.
When the second-half started, BFC still had an outside chance of pulling off a miracle. These dreams received a rude awakening when Istiklol found the net in the 56th minute.
BFC now needed three goals to make the cut. Skipper Sunil Chhetri managed to score a penalty to make it 2-2, but it was not nearly enough.
BFC Head Coach Albert Roca said, “I think the level of refereeing has to improve. The actions taken by them are so important - it can affect a game. The penalty and the red card put us on the back-foot.”
The result :
BFC 2 (Rahul Bheke 24, Sunil Chhetri 65) drew with FC Istiklol 2 (Davronov Nuriddin 3, Dmitri Barkov 56); (FC Istiklol won 3-2 on aggregate)
