AFC Cup 2021: Udanta, Cleiton excel in Bengaluru FC's massive win over Maziya S&RC

There were several notable performances from the Blues in the continental showpiece.

Bengaluru FC were in action against Maziya S&RC in the final fixture of Group D in the AFC Cup 2021. The Indian Super League outfit emerged as victors by a 6-2 scoreline on Tuesday night. The Blues were more determined in the attacking third as they shot into a 3-0 lead at half-time.

Goals from Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva and Leon Augustine gave the Bengaluru FC the advantage against Maziya. Hamza Mohamed reduced the deficit in the second half to two. However, Sivasakthi Narayanan came off the bench and restored the three-goal advantage.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Asadhulla Abdulla then scored Maziya’s second goal. But Bengaluru FC responded with a brace from Bidyashagar Singh to make it 6-2 on the night. The Blues' youngsters were impressive against Maziya after getting an opportunity to display their talent.

Here are the player ratings from Bengaluru FC's convincing win over Maziya S&RC: 

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK) - 5.5

The custodian was usually in control whenever tested by the opposition. The skipper for the match, Sandhu made a good save from a free-kick in the first-half. However, his clean-sheet aspirations suffered a setback when Hamza Mohamed found the back of the net on a counter-attack in the second-half. The Indian international was left in a vulnerable position for the second goal conceded by the team. 

Sarthak Golui - 6.5

The right-back was adventurous on the flank and got an assist by providing a delicious cross to Udanta for the first goal. However, Golui did not keep his eyes on Hamza, who found space behind him and put in a cross that led to the second goal for Maziya S&RC.  

Pratik Chaudhari - 5.5

The center-back started the game in place of skipper Yrondu Musavu-King. He was solid on most occasions, recording two interceptions and three duel wins. His tackle could not stop Hamza from scoring the first goal for Maziya. A lack of focus cost the team another goal after he was caught out-of-position.

Alan Costa - 6.0

The 30-year-old made his third successive start for Bengaluru FC and was the leader at the back against the Maldives-based side. The Brazilian cleared his lines effectively but could have done better in terms of communication on the two occasions his team conceded. 

Naorem Roshan Singh - 6.5

The left-back started another game as Ashique Kuruniyan remains on the sideline. The youngster was comfortable for most of the match as Maziya’s attacks were focused on the other flank. Roshan Singh showed a lot of attacking intent by delivering five crosses. Defensively he was very astute, having 10 ball recoveries and five successful tackles. 

[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Rohit Kumar - 7.0

The midfielder was the central pivot in a three-man midfield. The new recruit was calm and composed on the ball. He kept the ball rolling and also put in tough tackles to win the ball back. Kumar won three duels and had three ball recoveries in the 46 minutes he played.

Jayesh Rane - 6.0

The midfielder was everywhere on the pitch, from defensive to the attacking third. The box-to-box midfielder had 47 touches of the ball, won three duels and attempted four shots on goal.

Suresh Singh Wangjam - 6.0

The midfielder got a yellow card in the first-half for elbowing a Maziya player. He was substituted off early in the second-half to give him rest and give Ajay Chhetri some more game time. Regardless, Wangjam was his usual self, in the thick of things, for the time he spent on the field. 

Leon Augustine - 7.5

The right-winger scored the third goal of the game with a calm finish on the stroke of the 35th minute. He made up for an earlier miss and increased the Blues' advantage to three goals. An impressive performance from the winger which will have impressed the boss. 

Udanta Singh - 9.0

The winger perhaps had his best performance for Bengaluru FC. Sarthak Golui’s pinpoint cross inside the box found Udanta, who used his head to direct the ball inside the net on the sixth-minute mark. 

Udanta almost had an assist right after scoring but Augustine could not direct his cross inside the net. He did get his assist eventually after providing Sivasakthi with a cross, which the striker slotted in from close-range.

In the final stages of the game, Udanta added another assist. He found Bidyashagar with a penetrating through ball which led to the fifth goal for Bengaluru FC.

[KH_ADWORDS type="2" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Cleiton Silva - 8.5

The forward finally got himself on the scoresheet in the AFC Cup by scoring the second goal of the night. He latched on to a misjudgment by Maziya goalkeeper Hussain Shareef and helped the ball roll into the net at the stroke of the 19th minute. Silva also had a goal disallowed for being in an offside position in the 30th minute. He also had a second goal disallowed on the 47th minute.

Substitutions

Danish Farooq - 5.5

Came on early in the second-half in place of Rohit Kumar. Farooq would not be happy as the opposition scored two goals after he came on. Regardless, the defensive-midfielder performed his duties whenever needed. 

Ajay Chhetri - 5.5

The midfielder replaced Wangjam who was on a yellow card. He was strong in tackles and gave away a few unnecessary fouls. Having said that, Chhetri won five duels in the cameo appearance from the bench.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Bidyashagar Singh - 7.5

The youngster replaced Cleiton Silva in the early stages of the second-half. The striker opened his account for the Blues by scoring the fifth goal of the night. He went on to add Bengaluru’s sixth goal and his second of the night in the 92nd minute. 

Sivasakthi Narayanan - 7.0

He came on for Leon Augustine with half an hour remaining. He scored the fourth goal for the Blues from close-range after controlling Udanta’s low cross. 

Ajith Kumar - 6.5

Ajith Kumar came on late after replacing Jayesh Rane from the bench. The midfielder provided an assist for the sixth goal.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.