Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: Carles Cuadrat’s Bengaluru FC bowed out of Asian competition after a 2-0 loss (5-2 agg.) to Altyn Asyr FK in the second leg of their AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinal, at the Kopetdag Stadium, in Ashgabat, on Wednesday. Second half goals from Altymyrat Annadurdyyev and Vahyt Orazsakhedov settled the tie in favour of the hosts after the Blues found the going tough in attack.

Earlier, Cuadrat rung in one change to the side that faced the Turkmenistan champions at home as Boithang Haokip dropped to the bench in favour of a returning Harmanjot Khabra. Rino Anto and Rahul Bheke joined Spaniard Juanan Gonzalez at the back as Nishu Kumar was pushed forward to add impetus to the Blues’ attack.

After a spell of holding fort at the back, Bengaluru pushed high up with Miku and Sunil Chhetri creating back-to-back chances with less than half an hour on the clock. While the duo’s efforts went wide, Bengaluru gained momentum and had spells of possession. Udanta Singh and Nishu, attacking from either flank, had attempts of their own, but none dangerous to trouble Mamed Orazmuhamedov in the Altyn goal.

The Blues had their best chance of the first period in the 38th minute when Miku fed Chhetri on the counter, but the skipper’s foray into the rival box was met with a strong tackle from an Altyn Asyr defender. Shouts for a penalty were waved away as referee Turki Al-Khudair chose to book the Blues’ number 11 instead.

While the first half was an even affair, the hosts struck twice early on in the second to effectively seal the tie. Annadurdyyev scored the opener in the 50th minute with a strike from the edge of the box that BFC ’keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu struggled to get his hand to.

Striker Vahyt Orazsakhedov then added another with his third goal of the tie, tapping home from close after defender Mekan Saparov’s strike from distance cannoned off the upright, making it 2-0 on the day and 5-2 on aggregate.

As the Blues kept on pushing ahead in search of the elusive goal, it was Altyn Asyr goalkeeper Mamed who pulled off two saves to keep the score unchanged. Miku, who managed to create a yard for himself, had his shot from distance palmed away in the 65th, before Chhetri’s shot was tipped onto the vertical.

The Blues return to Bengaluru, where they will prepare for the opener of the 2018-19 Indian Super League, against Chennaiyin FC, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on September 30th.

(BFC Media)

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: Carles Cuadrat’s Bengaluru FC are confident of climbing the proverbial mountain when they take on Altyn Asyr at the Kopetdag Stadium, on Wednesday, for a spot in the Inter-Zone final of the AFC Cup. Having suffered a 3-2 defeat at home, the Blues will need to win by a two-goal margin in the capital in what could be a comeback for the ages.

Though Cuadrat admitted that conceding three goals at home was far from the ideal scenario going into a second leg, he was confident that the late fightback at the Kanteerava has given his side belief and a chance against tough opponents. “Altyn Asyr is a good team who have been doing well in this competition. When they came to Bengaluru, they were in the middle of their league commitments and you could tell by how fit they were. They took advantage of the options they had in front of our goal. It was a bit of a shock to go down by three goals at home but we slowly took control of things in the second half and we had enough chances to put them in trouble. We have two goals that make us believe we have a shot at going ahead in this competition,” said the Spaniard while addressing the media on Tuesday.

The team from Turkmenistan didn’t have much of the ball in the first leg, but they made their reliance on the counter attack matter, with clinical finishing. Cuadrat said the early goals were a tad bit disappointing because they knew how the visitors would tackle the tie. “When you’re down a goal at home you want to get right back into it and that’s where we conceded another one on the counter attack. We have been watching Altyn Asyr’s games in the AFC Cup and we know they don’t really have a lot of possession during the game. Most games they usually have around 45 percent possession. They know they must defend well and punish the other teams on the counter. So, it wasn’t a surprise.”

The Blues will do well to be wary of the threat that the hosts possess through Altymyrat Annadurdyyew and Wahyt Orazsahedow, both of who were on target in Bengaluru. Winger Myrat Yagsyyew, who had to be substituted early in the game owing to a groin injury, remains a doubtful starter for the fixture.

The biggest positive that Bengaluru FC can take from the defeat and into the second leg is the attitude they displayed even after conceding three goals. The attack switched gears in the second half and had Altyn Asyr defending in numbers. The Blues were left feeling hard done-by after two stonewall penalty decisions were waived away by the referee. But goals from Rahul Bheke and Erik Paartalu were justice to the kind of turnaround they orchestrated.

Harmanjot Khabra, who missed the game with illness, has made the trip to Turkmenistan and it needs to be seen if he will have a part to play on Wednesday. Cuadrat also hinted at a possible rejig in the way he approaches the game and the team he rolls out. “We weren’t happy with the way things went in the first game and we would like to fix that. If it means us having to change and reshuffle, we will. In the end, we don’t have an option but to keep trying things that can keep us alive in the competition,” he said.

The winner of the tie will go on to face North Korean side 4.25 SC in the Inter-Zone final after they cruised past Singapore’s Home United FC 11-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal clash.

The game kicks off at 5 pm IST.

(BFC Media)

Bengaluru: What seemed like a tie that was done and dusted sprang back to life after Bengaluru produced an inspired second-half comeback against Turkmenistan side Altyn Asyr FK in the first leg of the AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. The Blues conceded three goals, before scoring two of their own to take a 2-3 result to Ashgabat for the second leg, set to be played in seven days’ time.

With an ill Harmanjot Khabra having to sit out of the game, Cuadrat started with Rino Anto at the right-back position while Xisco Hernandez made his Bengaluru debut, playing in the middle.

The visitors couldn’t have asked for a better start away from home when Vahyt beat the last line of defence and rose to nod home Nurmyradov Selim’s cross from the right in the 11th minute.

The Blues looked almost certain of squaring things up in the 15th minute when Chhetri was picked with a precise cross from Miku. The skipper measured the flight and picked his spot with a calm header only for ’Orazmuhamedov Mamed to clear the ball with an outstretched left foot.

Just when Bengaluru looked like getting back into the game, Altyn Asyr got a second through Altymyrat in the 24th minute. The leading scorer of the Turkmenistan side’s AFC Cup campaign, Altymyrat managed to sneak in a low but powerful hit past Sandhu at the near post.

Not allowing the deficit to kill their resolve of a fightback, Bengaluru gave the Altyn Asyr defence an edgy last ten minutes in the first half where Miku, Chhetri and Nishu had chances stuffed out by desperate blue shirts in the box.

Things slipped further for Bengaluru soon after the second half began when Vahyt got his second and Altyn Asyr’s third goal of the night. Sandhu had an uncharacteristically weak moment allowing Vahyt’s to roll past from under him.

With little to lose, Bengaluru kept plugging away as Udanta Singh made life difficult for Altyn Asyr’s men on the left. The visitors seemed happy to sit back and defend in numbers as Bengaluru moved the ball all around, prodding for an opening. The Blues finally got one back in the 63rd minute when Bheke smashed home from in the box. Chhetri’s header from Udanta’s cross smashed the post only to bounce back to Bheke who wouldn’t miss.

The goal breathed fresh life into Bengaluru’s charge as they got into a rhythm that Altyn Asyr found tough to handle. The defending was frenetic at best but just enough to keep Miku, Udanta and a host of white shirts at bay.

Bengaluru were left feeling hard done when they thought they had two shouts for what looked like legitimate penalties, turned down by referee Iida Jumpei. But the Blues piled on the pressure, finding a second through Erik Paartalu. With Xisco’s initial cross headed out of the Altyn box, Udanta picked up the pieces and swung in a second that was nodded home by the Aussie in the dying minutes.

(BFC Media)

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC will hit the ground running when they begin life and the season under new coach Carles Cuadrat with a high-stakes AFC Cup Inter-Zone semifinal against Turkmenistan side Altyn Asyr at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. The Blues, who are attempting to qualify for the semifinal of the competition for a third straight time, are up against a side that knocked out last year’s finalists in FC Istiklol and are yet to lose a game in this edition.

Cuadrat, who took over the mantle from mentor Albert Roca before the start of the season, said he was confident that a gruelling pre-season in Spain would come handy for a stage and an opponent like this. “We played some very tough teams in Spain and while results didn’t go our way, I feel the experience has prepared us well for both the home and the away legs of this fixture.”

The Blues who faced off against Atletico Saguntino, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Villarreal B and Barcelona B in Spain, had their defence tested heavily in the second halves of the final two games.

Bengaluru will be buoyed by the inclusion of talismanic striker Miku who has been registered for the competition in his second season with the club. The Venezuelan had a twenty-goal year playing the ISL and the Super Cup and the Blues will hope he picks up from where he left off.

The game could also mark the debut of Spanish midfielder Xisco Hernandez who joined the Blues this summer, while Rino Anto could be in the reckoning in what is his second spell with the club. Cuadrat will however be without Harmanjot Khabra who is down with chicken pox. “It’s strange that we had two cases of chicken pox, but that’s what it is. While Gurpreet has recovered, Khabra will miss this game,” Cuadrat informed. Also missing the game with minor niggles are Sairuat Kima and Robinson Singh.

The visitors on the other hand will be banking heavily on the strike duo of Altymyrat Annadurdyyev (6 goals) and Murat Yakshiyev (5 goals) who have combined for eleven of seventeen goals scored in the group stages. While there have been six more goalscorers, the pair will be the prime focus for the Bengaluru defence tomorrow.

It needed drama and a little luck on the last day of the league stages for Bengaluru to secure a spot in the knock-out stages. The Blues needed to beat Abahani Dhaka while hoping that fellow-contenders New Radiant would drop points against Aizawl FC. The script played out perfectly for the Super Cup champions as they hammered Abahani and Aizawl shocked New Radiant with a 2-1 win.

Equally dramatic was Altyn Asyr’s passage to the Inter-Zone semi-final as they snatched the top spot from FC Istiklol (Tajikistan) in the final moments. The Turkmenistan champions were away to Istiklol, who were two points ahead going into the final round. The Tajik-side, who got better off Bengaluru in last-year’s Inter-Zone final, levelled scores at 2-2 in the 90thminute only to be denied by an injury time winner from Altyn Asyr’s Mihail Titow to send them through to the knock-out stage.

The game kicks off at 8.00 pm and will be live on DSport.

(BFC Media)