Hello and welcome to Sportstar's blog of the Maziya vs Bengaluru FC AFC Cup Group D tie played at the Maldives national football stadium.
FULL TIME!!! MAZIYA 2-6 BENGALURU FC!!!! A stellar finish to the campaign despite not making it through to the next round. Thanks for tuning in, folks. Good night.
90+2' GOOOAAALLLL!!! BENGALURU HAS SCORED SIX!! WOW!! BIDYASAGAR CLINCHES HIS SECOND!!! Assisted by Ajith Kumar, Bidyasagar keeps calm and slots his second past Mirzokhid. Bengaluru has scored half a dozen goals now.
90+1'SHOT- A shot by BFC substitute Ajith Kumar from the edge of the box. Not too far away as the ball fizzes above Mirzokhid.
THREE ADDITIONAL MINUTES!!!
85' GOOOAAALLLL!!! ITS GOALS GALORE HERE!! BENGALURU SCORES ITS FIFTH!! ITS BIDYASAGAR!! Bidyasagar becomes the second youngster after Sivasakthi to score for BFC today. A well-timed run on the left flank got him the ball from a Udanta Singh pass. As he approached Mirzokhid, he outwitted the Maziya keeper with a calm lobbed-finish past him.
82' GOOAAALLLL!!! MAZIYA HAS ITS SECOND!! ITS ABDULLAH ASADULLAH!! A classic counter attack by Maziya as BFC pushed its players high up the field. Hamza, after the getting the ball, saw the space to run and after a great run, set it up for Asadullah on a plate for a tap-in.
81' SUB- Jayesh Rane goes off for Ajith Kumar.
80' Gurpreet is up and running. Play resumes.
77' Gurpreet has clashed with Alan Costa. It does not look too serious but he is currently being tended by the medical staff. A nice chance for the players to take a breather amidst the challenging conditions in Male's sweltering heat.
73' SUB- Ibrahim Waheed Hasasan replaces Hussain Nihaan.
73' SUB- Asadhulla Abdullah replaces Aisam Ibrahim.
70' GOOAAAALLLL!!! BENGALURU GETS ITS FOURTH!! ITS SUBSTITUTE SIVASAKTHI!! A great bit of play by Udanta to set up the young Sivasakthi, who scored after a beautiful finish as his shot from the right cannoned to the roof of the net.
69'BOOKING- Takashi Odawara of Maziya sees yellow.
67' GOOAAALLLL!! MAZIYA PULLS ONE BACK!! HAMZA SCORES!! The goal totally against the run of play as BFC was enjoying a good passage of pressure but the Blues backline caught out as Hamza got clear and after a great run, slotted it past Gurpreet.
64' SHOT- Udanta cuts inside and takes a shot with his left. Its on target but easy for Mirzokhid to collect.
62' SUB- Sivasakthi Narayanan replaces Leon Augustine.
60' A great run by Maziya's Cornelius as he darted towards BFC's goal from his own half. He ultimately gets crowded by the BFC defence. He shoots and it hits Alan Costa's hands but no handball. Distance was too close and the hand was in a natural position.
57' BOOKING Maziya's Aisam Ibrahim becomes the latest player to yellow.
54' SUB- Naiz Hassan replaces Ibrahim Mahudee.
53' SUB- Maziya's Pozo is replaced by Hassan Nahwaash.
53' A nice attacking move by Maziya but it is broken down as Cornelius Stewart is offside.
52' SUB- Bidyasagar Singh replaces Cleiton Silva.
52' SUB- BFC's Suresh Wangjam replaced by Ajay Chhetri.
50' CHANCE- Leon could have had his second there. His shot was saved by Mirzokhid. The rebound shot was blocked by Pozo. Maziya seems to have no answer to BFC's attack.
49' Freekick to Bengaluru- Maziya's Pozo with a sloppy challenge on Cleiton.
Nothing comes of it as Mirzokhid collects the floating ball into the box.
47' Bengaluru starting the second half on top- Cleiton Silva sent running with a through ball with acres of green ahead of him. However, a late whistle from the assistant referee stops play as Silva is adjudged offside.
46' SUB- BFC's Danish Farooq replaces Rohit Kumar.
SECOND-HALF UNDERWAY!!
It has been all Bengaluru FC in the first half as the away side finds itself three goals up at the break courtesy of Leon, Cleiton and Udanta's side.
It is a BFC side we haven't seen for a long time, with its sharp and direct approach. A mountain to climb for Maziya in the second half if it wants to get something from this match.
As things stand, Bengaluru FC is ending its AFC Cup campaign with a win.
Stay tuned!! Live-action awaits in the second half!!!
HALF-TIME!!! (MAZIYA 0-3 BENGALURU FC)
45+2' SHOT- A tricky freekick for Gurpreet to deal with. A low powerful shot, which bounced slightly right before him but the experienced keeper gathers easily.
45+1' BOOKING- BFC's Suresh Wangjam sees yellow.
45+1' Maziya has a freekick at a dangerous position- right at the edge of BFC's penalty-area.
ONE ADDITIONAL MINUTE!!!
45' BOOKING- Nihaan of Maziya sees yellow.
42' It has been a forgettable half for Maziya- not only can it not carve out clear-cut chances, it finds itself 3-0 down with the break approaching. The loss of goalkeeper Hussain is just salt on the wound.
On the other hand, it has been a trademark Bengaluru performance. Sharp and incisive as we are used to seeing.
38' CHANCE- Bengaluru could have had its fourth as Udanta, from the left, squared the ball accurately to a darting Jayesh Rane in the centre. Rane was completely free but his shot was not on target.
36' GOOOAAALLLL!!! BENGALURU HAS ITS THIRD!! ITS LEON THIS TIME!!! One of the five changes made by Pezzaiuoli, Leon Augustine keeps a calm head to slot the ball past Mirzokhid from the right.
34' SUB- The injured Maziya keeper Hussain is replaced by Mirzokhid.
32' That's never a good sight- Maziya keeper Hussain is in discomfort as he is stretchered off the pitch.
30' GOAL DENIED....OFFSIDE- Cleiton Silva got clear of Maziya's highline as he collected a pass from midfield. He goes around the keeper and slots it in but he is adjudged as offiside. The BFC player clearely thinks he was on.
28' SHOT- A wayward effort by Maziya No.10 Hamza as it is nowhere near the goal.
26' DOUBLE SAVE- Hussain with a brilliant double save to keep the scoreline 2-0. First it was a save from a Jayesh Rane shot. The second one tougher as Leon takes a shot from close-range but Hussain stands big.
24' Udanta proving to be a menace for the Maziya defence. He darts from the left flank and gets inside the box. His attempted cross is blocked by the Maziya defence. BFC corner.
Nothing comes of the corner as Cleiton Silva delivers.
23' BFC edging possession after the first 20 minutes with 57%- right now Pezzaiuoli's side is doing everything right.
19' BOOKING- BFC's Rohit Kumar sees yellow for a sloppy challenge.
19' GOOOAALLLLL!!! BENGALURU FC SCORES ITS SECOND!!! WHAT A HOWLER BY THE MAZIYA KEEPER!! Hussain totally misjudges the flight of the ball as it bounced and got behind him. All it took was a rushing Cleiton Silva to rush in and toepoke it inside the net. A bad goal to concede but Bengaluru won't complain.
16' Bengaluru looking the more confident outfit but it cannot get complacent. Maziya took the lead against ATKMB in its last match totally against the run of play.
13' CHANCE- Wow that really should have been Bengaluru's second goal. Udanta turning creator this time, putting in a wonderful ball into the box from the left. Leon Augustine was at the end of the cross but he cannot convert the chance.
12' Great buildup play by Bengaluru as it splits the Maziya defence with Jayesh whipping in a low-cross for Udanta. The ball had too much weight as it goes out for a goal kick.
11' SHOT- Maziya's Hamza takes a shot from distance but it sails high above Gurpreet's goal.
8' Maziya playing with a high line and Bengaluru trying to take advantage of that- especially with Udanta using his pace to get behind the backline with his runs.
6' GOOOOAAALLL!!! BFC TAKES THE LEAD!! UDANTA SCORES!!! Sarthak showing his crossing abilities as he whipped in a brilliant cross from the right flank, which Udanta Singh met with confidence. No chance for Maziya keeper Hussain.
5' A good ball long ball to Udanta who seemed to have made a good run but the assistant referee raises his flag.
3' An energetic start from both teams. Neither outfit sitting back looking to soak the pressure. Bengaluru looks a tad more sprightful.
1' KICK-OFF!!!
09:30 pm IST- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!! It is still pouring at the National Football Stadium in Male
09:15 pm IST- The last time these two teams met
09:00 pm- Did you know?
08:35 pm IST- LINEUPS ARE OUT!!!
Bengaluru FC XI: Gurpreet (GK) (C); Roshan, Alan, Pratik, Sarthak; Jayesh, Rohit, Suresh; Udanta Cleiton, Leon
( Five changes for the Blues from their last match)
Subs: Mawia, Muirang, Ajith, Parag, Danish, Ajay, Bidyashagar, Inayath, Sivasakthi, Chhetri.
Coach: Marco Pezzaiuoli
See how the Blues shape up for the match
Maziya XI: Hussain (GK), Shifaz (C), Ahmed Abdulla, Pozo, Amdhan, Takashi Odawara, Aisam Ibrahim, Nihan, Hampu, Ibrahim Mahudee, Cornelius
(Shifaz replaces Irufaan as the captain, who starts from the bench)
Subs: Zimam, Nahwaash, Irufaan, Abdulla, Hassan, Junaid, Hassan, Yaamin, Mirzokhid (GK), Umair
Coach: Risto Vidakovic
Know the Maziya team
08:20 pm IST- Wet conditions in Male with less than a hour and a half to kick-off
Match Preview
Bengaluru FC will look to end its AFC Cup campaign on a positive note when it takes on Maziya S&RC from the Maldives at the National Stadium in Male on Tuesday.
Although both sides are out of the knockout race, there's much to play for, with a win potentially lifting the Blues to second place in the group, while a defeat will mean a bottom-placed finish.
"It's true that Maziya have played two games and lost both, but we need to respect them as a team. We need to focus on our style and do our best against them.
"From the game against Tribhuvan Army FC in April to the one against Bashundhara Kings on Saturday, we have made several steps forward. Ours is a young team, and we are looking to progress with each game we play," BFC coach Mario Pezzaiuoli said.
The Blues fell 2-0 to ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening match. They then settled for a goalless draw against Bangladesh Premier League champion Bashundhara Kings on Saturday.
READ: FC Bengaluru United to make Durand Cup debut
Despite the stalemate confirming their elimination from the tournament, Pezzaiuoli maintained that his side was eager to finish on a high.
"In football, it's not always about winning. Yes, we wanted to do well in the AFC Cup, but it wasn't to be.
"It was tough to accept, but we trained this morning, and I saw good team spirit and mentality from my players. We are eager to do well and finish on a good note against Maziya," the Italian added.
The Blues' boss confirmed that winger Ashique Kuruniyan would continue to miss out, having suffered an ankle injury in their playoff clash against Club Eagles.
READ: Five ISL, three I-League teams to feature in 2021 Durand Cup
In a bid to give minutes to different players across positions, Pezzaiuoli handed debuts to summer signings Danish Farooq, Bidyashagar Singh, Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane, Alan Costa and Sarthak Golui in the first two group stage games.
Their B Team graduate Sivasakthi Narayanan also clocked his first minutes for the senior team.
Maziya, which began its AFC Cup group stage with a 2-0 loss to Bashundhara Kings, fell 3-1 to ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday, confirming its exit.
The Blues have faced Maziya six times in the AFC Cup, winning on four occasions and losing twice.
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