AFC Cup 2018: What Bengaluru FC need to do to qualify for the knockout stage
What’s the story?
Bengaluru have to win both their remaining games if they want to up their chances of qualifying for the next round.
To ascertain their spot in the Inter-Zone semifinals, they will also hope that New Radiant SC drop points against Abahani Dhaka or Aizawl FC in their last two games.
In case you didn’t know…
With New Radiant beating Bengaluru in the last fixture has left Group E wide open. If the Blues had won that match then they would have taken a 6-point lead and would have only needed one point from their remaining two matches in order to qualify for the Inter-Zone semifinals. However, the 2-0 defeat has certainly made things much more interesting with New Radiant SC tied on points with them.
The heart of the matter
Bengaluru FC have enjoyed a good run in the AFC Cup thus far winning three out of four matches. Their first win was against Abahani Dhaka Limited back in March with a scoreline of 1-0. The Blues also won 3-1 against Aizawl FC, and by a goal to nil when pitted against New Radiant SC.
The Maldivian side, though, bounced back strongly against the Sunil Chhetri-led team in their second encounter as they won 2-0 on April 25th. Both these Group E teams have now won three out of their four matches and have accumulated nine points. New Radiant SC fairs marginally better as they have a better goal difference, +4 compared to Bengaluru's +2.
Ali Ashfaq has been menacing for the Maldives-based club, having scored four goals in four matches for his team. Daniel Lalhlimpuia has been the top-scorer for Bengaluru scoring two goals. The two teams have an attacking style of play and score goals in the majority of their matches.
Rahul Bheke, Daniel Segovia and Nishu Kumar have all chipped in at crucial moments for Roca's side and they will look to continue doing the same.
What’s next?
The ISL runners-up of the 2017/2018 season will play former I-league counterparts Aizawl FC on 2nd May. New Radiant SC plays Abahani Limited Dhaka on the same day. Albert Roca's men have a slight advantage in the sense that they have played with the domestic rivals more often and know their opposition well.
Author’s take
Only the top team from each group qualifies for the next round. Either Bengaluru or New Radiant will qualify from Group E. The Super Cup winners have proven time and again that they can be dominating in a match once they get going. They really need to go after their opposition in the upcoming matches and win by a big margin, otherwise, they will have to rely on New Radiant SC to drop points.
There is sure to be a tense climax at the end of the matchday as Group E is wide open.