Doha: Bengaluru FC (BFC) suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat at the hands of Air Force Club of Iraq in the summit clash of the AFC Cup as they failed to become the first Indian football club to win an Asian title here, Saturday.
I-League champions Bengaluru have already become the first Indian to qualify for the final of the AFC Cup, a second tier club competition in Asia, but they were chasing for a bigger glory and unprecedented continental title, but in the end were beaten by a superior side at Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
BFC were simply outplayed by Air Force Club, despite a seizable expatriate crowd egging on them at the stadium and lot of support from the sports fraternity at home, as they got very few scoring chances while the Iraqi side had several of them, especially in the second half and the closing stages of the match.
Star striker Hammadi Ahmed Abdullah, who has scored 15 goals in 11 matches for Air Force Club in the tournament before the final, netted the match-winner in the 71st minute to give his side their maiden AFC Cup title. This was the first time an Iraqi side won the AFC Cup title after Erbil Club finished runners-up twice in 2012 and 2014.
Despite the loss and heartbreak, Bengaluru will return home with their heads held high as they set a benchmark for Indian clubs by reaching thus far. Before them, only two clubs — Dempo in 2008 and East Bengal in 2013 — had reached the semifinals of the AFC Cup.
BFC and Air Force Club were locked in a goalless stalemate at half time with the Iraqi side dominating possession and the Indian club defending their citadel resolutely.
In the second half, Air Force Club doing most of the attacking while Bengaluru looking for counter
attacks.
After a barrage of attacks, Air Force Club finally got the goal with the tournament’s highest scorer Hammadi finding the winning goal. Amjad Radhi had the ball just outside the Bengaluru box and he took in his stride both Watson and Johnson with ease. He then took Ralte out of his line and squared the ball for Hammadi Ahmed to just poked it into the open net.
Press Trust of India
