Bengaluru FC put up a strong fight but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Iraq Air Force club in the AFC Cup 2016 final. The teams were equally matched in the first half and the Blues would have fancied their chances going into the second 45.
However, a moment of magic from Amjed Radhi, where he danced his way past three Bengaluru defenders and then squared the ball to a waiting Hammadi Ahmed, proved to be enough for the Iraqi club.
Also read: Twitter reacts as Bengaluru FC heartbreakingly lose the AFC Cup Final to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Bengaluru faltered on the brink of history, but nevertheless, Albert Roca and Indian fans, in general, will be proud of their achievement.
On that note, take a look at the 5 talking points from the game:
#1 Just the beginning for Bengaluru FC
The Blues might have lost the game on the night, but they won the hearts of millions of Indian football fans. Having already made history by being the only Indian club to reach the finals of the AFC Cup, Bengaluru ultimately fell short of another historic achievement.
The side coached by Albert Roca were massive underdogs in the quarter-finals as well as semi-finals. A solid showing against Tampines Rovers ensured that they would have a rematch with reigning champions Johor. In the semi-finals, the Blues were simply unstoppable, especially at home, and tore apart a much more fancied side to reach the finals where they ultimately lost out to Al-Jawiya.
However, their performances over the course of the tournament leave nothing to be desired. Undoubtedly, the club and their officials will have set their sights on the AFC Champions League in the coming years and who is to say that they might not leave their mark on Asia’s Premier club competition.
For now, though, it is back to the I-League where they will have to be at their best in order to defend their title against the likes of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
#2 Change in the formation proved to be damaging
Prior to, Hammadi’s goal, Albert Roca decided to change the formation for Bengaluru and decided to adopt a more attacking system. Cameron Watson dropped into the defence in between Antonio and Johnson as Bengaluru switched to a 3-5-2 formation. The tactic, however, proved to be damaging to the side as they completely lost control of the game.
The defence was in shambles as players had no idea what position to occupy and what part of the field to be on. The attack too was compromised as Vineeth struggled for service up front. Despite getting into a couple of promising positions on the flanks, the final ball was just not there and Al-Jawiya had a relatively simple task of dealing with the attackers.
In the first half, while Bengaluru did not create many chances, they never look troubled off the ball and had a pretty decent time of it when in possession, with Chettri on the left flank and Lyngdoh trying to influence proceedings from the centre of midfield. However, all that changed with the formation and Bengaluru ended up all the more toothless.
#3 Ahmed Hammadi and Amjed Radhi were the difference
Hammadi came into this game having scored a whopping 15 goals in 10 appearances in the AFC Cup. An impressive feat indeed, seeing as how Bengaluru as a side had hit the net only 17 times. Hammadi added to his tally with a simple tap-in in the 70th minute to score the only goal of the match thereby handing Al-Jawiya the title.
It was, however, Radhi who proved to be the difference between the 2 sides on the night. His ability on the ball was just too much for the Bengaluru defence to handle. His run that led to the goal involved the 26-year-old jinking past 3 Bengaluru defenders, leaving them chasing shadows as he squared the ball to his striker to tap into the empty net.
He was a livewire throughout the game and constantly dictated proceedings in the final third. The youngster would be disappointed with the fact that he did not get on the scoresheet but will take heart from his performance in the end.
#4 Rubio’s time could be coming to an end
At 37, Rubio does not really have many good years left in him. Despite putting in a couple of decent shifts in midfield for Roca’s side in the last few games, he was completely out of his depth last night.
The Spaniard will know as well as anyone that he cannot go on playing forever and this could well be his final season as a professional footballer. Rubio just did not have the legs to keep up with the physical Iraqi side and he looked leggy and fatigued for most parts of the game.
Having made over 250 appearances for Valladolid in the La Liga, Rubio is no doubt a darn good player, but his time is surely running out. With a competitive I-League season just around the corner, it remains to be seen whether he has the legs to perform to the best of his ability.
#5 A moment of bliss for a country in dire straits
Al-Jawiya’s victory made them the first club from Iraq to be crowned the winners of the AFC Cup. While they were creating history, however, it was quite a different atmosphere back home. The club, in fact, required special permission to even play in the competition and had to play all of their home games at a neutral venue as clubs were unwilling to play in Iraq.
In a country plagued by war and battles against ISIS, such moments are few and far between and deserve to be cherished. Just recently, Iraqi goalkeeper Munir Abid lost his wife and four kids to a roadside explosive planted by ISIS. Many of the players’ fathers and friends are currently in the army fighting against the militant group. In such moments, people turn to the ‘Beautiful Game’ for some beautiful moments and boy did they get it tonight.
According to Sattar Jabbar, a former player, the soldiers often call on the players and request them to win games so that they could have a reason to celebrate. Whether or not the players received a call on the night, they seemed to draw inspiration from somewhere and pulled off a great victory to unburden the hearts of a whole nation.
