AFC Cup 2021 Live Commentary: Maziya S&RC vs Bengaluru FC

Maziya S&RC	2-6	Bengaluru FC
67' Hamza Mohammed82' Asadhulla Abdullah		6' Udanta Singh19' Cleiton Silva35' Leon Augustine70' Sivasakthi Narayanan85' 90+2' Bidyasaghar Singh

FULLTIME: It will serve as the perfect match for Bengaluru FC and their head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli as all of the youngsters have lived up to the expectations in this game. The Blues started with great intensity and have been in control throughout the match. Udanta Singh struck first blood in the sixth minute while Cleiton Silva doubled the lead and Leon Augustine also found the target to finish the first half. talented youngster Sivasakthi Narayanan came on as a substitute and scored a stunning goal proving that he is ready for this level. Lastly, new signing Bidyasaghar Singh also came up with a brace to end a great day for Indian football in AFC Cup. This match will act as a confidence booster for the players ahead of a very important Indian Super League season and if they play with this intensity then they can be a nightmare for any defender in the league.

Although they still have some chinks in their defence especially during stopping counter-attacks. They conceded two goals in a similar fashion and Pezzaiuoli will have to work in that area before the start of the ISL. Overall it was a fantastic performance from the Blues as they gave a glimpse of the young attacking talent at their disposal.

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90+3' That's that for the clash between Maziya S&RC and Bengaluru FC as the Blues simply ran riot over the hots.

90+1' GOOOOAAALLL for BFC!!! Bidyasaghar makes it sixth as Ajith Kumar finds him brilliantly with a through ball and the Manipuri lad makes no mistake to slot it past the Maziya custodian.

90' Three minutes added on to the regulation time.

88' One thing must be said that despite winning the game, BFC have not decided to sit back and see it out. They have been encouraged to attack and hence these young forwards have all registered themselves in the scoresheet. Great confidence booster for all of them ahead of a big ISL season.

85' GOOOAAAALLLLSSS GALORE!!!! BFC score their fifth goal as Udanta combines with Bidyasaghar Singh as the last season's I-League top scorer open his account as a Bengaluru FC player. Excellent goal.

82' GOOOOAAAALLLL for MAZIYA!!! Excellent counter-attack again as the BFC defenders were caught napping as Asadhulla Abdullah scored the second goal after coming on as a substitute.

80' Substitution for BFC as Ajith Kumar comes on for Jayesh Rane.

https://twitter.com/bengalurufc/status/1430220837261430790

74' CHANCE for Maziya!! Odawara finds space just outside the box and takes a shot, but Gurpreet saves it comfortably.

70' GOOOOAAAAALLLL FOR BFC!!! It is none other than Siva Sakti as he comes up with a fine finish from a Udanta Singh cross. Excellent composure from the youngster as he proves that he can score goals the level does not matter.

67' GOALLLLLLL FOR MAZIYA!!! Hamza Mohammed pulls one back for the hosts. An excellent counter attack from the Green Boys as Cornelius Stewart finds Hamza with a well-timed pass and the latter made no mistake to slot it past Gurpreet.

63' Immediate impact from Siva as he gets the ball around the final third and shuffles before hitting the target. However, he failed to generate enough power in his shot as it was easily collected by the Maziya custodian.

62' SUBSTITUTION: Another change for BFC as Leon Augustine is replaced by young forward Siva Shakti.

60' Maziya are threatening the BFC defence through the left flank as Cornelius Stewart has pushed out wide and is looking to cause some trouble for Sarthak and others. However, he is immediately closed down by the BFC defenders.

58' Maziya midfielder Aisam Ibrahim brings down Jayesh Rane and enters the referee's book.

57' Maziya looking to gain some initiative in this game as they string a few passes near the final third. But the quality that is needed to beat the BFC defence has been missing.

53' SUBSTITUTION for Maziya aswell as they make two changes. Pozo is replaced by Hassan Nahwaash while Naiz Hassan has replaced Ibrahim Mahudhee in the attack.

51' SUBSTITUTION for BFC as Bidyasaghar Singh and Ajay Chhetri comes on the field replacing the likes of Cleiton Silva and Suresh Wangjam respectively.

50' Bengaluru FC have started the second half with the same intensity as the first. They are still looking to create chances and catching the Maziya defenders off guard.

47' OFFSIDE!! Cleiton Silva was again through on goal and had also tucked in in past the Maziya custodian but only to see the linesman's flag. Look tight in replays.

45' SECOND HALF is underway as Maziya look for answers in the second half after conceding three goals in the first half.

HALFTIME: Bengaluru FC have completely dominated the hosts in the first half as Udanta Singh handed them the early lead and then Cleiton Silva doubled the scoring whereas Leon Augustine was also rewarded for his tireless efforts in attack. Honestly, it could have been worse for Maziya as they did not learn from their mistake and continued to keep a risky high defensive line allowing the BFC attackers to get in behind and cause all sorts of problems. The Blues will look to continue the same way even in the second half.

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45+1' That's that for the first half as BFC go into the break with a solid three goal lead.

45+1' Danger averted as the freekick did test Gurpreet but it was a routine catch for the Indian custodian.

45' Suresh goes into the referee's book as there is a lot of pushing and shoving during the freekick.

45' Great opportunity for Maziya as they have got a freekick in a great position just outside the box. Let's see if they test Gurpreet or not.

41' Maziya's risky highline in defence has caused all the problems for the hosts. They have played into the hands of this young BFC side with Udanta and Leon manning both the flank. Cleiton has emerged as the chief creator while Jayesh has also popped up in great positions.

37' CHANCE for BFC!!!! Cleiton from the left flank finds Jayesh with a great square pass just outside the box. The latter's shot was not good enough to test the keeper. That could have easily been the fourth goal. Great fluidity in attacking buildups from BFC.

35'GOALLLLLLLL for BFC!!! Excellent move as Cleiton finds Leon with a perfect defence-splitting pass and Leon does not make any mistake with a perfect finish.

33' SUBSTITUTION: First change for the hosts as Shareef is leaving the field with an injury and their first choice custodian Mizokhid is replacing him between the sticks.

30' OFFSIDE!! Cleiton Silva had handed BFC their third goal but he was judged offside. Excellent move from the Blues again as they are getting in behind the Maziya defence.

28' Encouraging move from Hamza Mohammed as he waltzes past BFC defenders before taking a wayward shot. Maziya need more composure in attack as they have the talent to test the BFC defence.

26' DOUBLE SAVE FROM Shareef as the Maziya custodian was tested twice in quick succession by Jayesh and Leon and he had the answers both times.

25' Cleiton's corner finds Pratik unmarked in the box but the latter failed to test the keeper.

24' Maziya are also looking to gain some momentum as they string a few passes near the final third. They are looking to come back into a game and a goal now will ensure that.

19' GOAAAAALLLLLL FOR BFC!!!!! The Maziya custodian Shareef made a mess out of an easy grab as Cleiton Silva was quick to pounce on the loose ball as he doubles the lead for the Blues.

17' Rohit Kumar gets into the referee's book as he commits a clumsy foul.

15' Maziya are struggling to keep up with the likes of Udanta and Leon on either flank. Hence the two wingers are getting acres of space to get in behind the backline.

12' HOW DID HE MISS THAT?? Udanta puts it in a plate for Leon but the youngster fails to connect from point-blank range. That should have been the second goal for the Blues.

10' Clear statement from BFC that they are not here to mess around. They are looking to impose themselves right from the start and hence they were rewarded with an early goal.

6' GOAAAALLLLL for BFC!!!! Udanta Singh hands BFC the first goal. A great header to open the scoring. Excellent move one after another from BFC as Sarthak finds Udanta in the penalty box with a well-drilled cross. The 25-year-old made no mistake to slot it past the Maziya custodian. Great move, great goal. Intent clear from Bengaluru FC!

5' Excellent long ball from Alan Costa as he finds Udanta clear on goal. But alas the BFC winger was judged offside. That could have been the first big opportunity for the Indian outfit.

3' A very positive start for the Blues as they are looking to control the ball in midfield. BFC are looking to create spaces and with Udanta and Leon on either flank, they have the pace to burn.

1' Kickoff!!! We are underway as both sides look to win their last match of this AFC Cup campaign

9:26 PM The players are out of the field and the match is all set to start in few minutes.

9:22 PM Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is handed the captain's armband as Sunil Chhetri is rested and will start from the bench. Leon Augustine and Sarthak Golui have been handed starts while Rohit Kumar returns replacing the impressive Danish Farooq in midfield. Pratik Chaudhuri also replaces Yrondu Musavu-King at the heart of the defence.

9:20 PM The Starting Lineups are out!!!

https://twitter.com/AFCCup/status/1430185077615566858

Bengaluru FC Starting XI: Gurpreet Sandhu, Sarthak Golui, Pratik Chaudhuri, Alan Costa, Roshan Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane, Leon Augustine, Cleiton Silva, Udanta Singh.

09: 15 PM Bengaluru FC are coming to this game on the back of a cagey 0-0 draw against Bashundhara Kings. They defended really well against a potent attacking side and after the hour mark they created several chances but their forwards failed to bury them. Although they are out they will look to end this AFC Cup campaign on a high note. Similarly, Maziya S&RC will also look to win their last game after suffering two consecutive losses.

09:00 PM A little back story on the game as we build-up to kick-off. Bengaluru FC and Maziya S&RC are both in Group D of AFC Cup 2021. ATK Mohun Bagan, who lead the group, and Bashundhara Kings are the other two teams in this South Zone group. All four teams will play each other once with the group leader then advancing to the knockouts stage.

Bengaluru FC and Maziya S&RC are already out of that contention. Neither side have managed a victory so far after two games. While Bengaluru FC have at least managed a draw apart from the defeat to ATKMB, Maziya have lost both of their games. The Maldivian club lost to Antonio Habas’ ATK Mohun Bagan despite taking the lead and going into half-time 1-0 ahead.

BFC coach Marco Pezzaiuoli was very clear in the pre-match conference: His side will be going for a win. The former ISL champions have looked far from the team fans are accustomed to seeing. But that shouldn’t be a surprise for a side still trying to find the right combination. Their forwards have lacked the zip and will certainly be under some pressure in their final group game.

Read Maziya S&RC vs Bengaluru FC match preview here.

08:30 PM Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s live coverage of the AFC Cup 2021. Indian Super League outfit Bengaluru FC meet Maziya S&RC. A dead-rubber, yes. But remember, neither side have tasted victory yet and will be desperate to at least end their dismaying campaign with a victory. Both teams are already out of the reckoning. However, we all know, teams that have nothing to lose are always the most dangerous.

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