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Toni Dovale scored a hat-trick as Bengaluru FC dismantled TC Sports Club in the second leg of the AFC Cup playoff. By the end of 90 minutes, the home side managed to score 5 goals past the hapless visitors who tried their best to mount a challenge in the first half.
BFC thus registered a comprehensive 8-2 aggregate victory over the Maldivian outfit. Here are the major talking points from tonight's one-sided affair.
#1 TC Sports begin well against well drilled BFC
Having conceded three goals on their own turf last week, not many expected the Maldivian club to pose a threat to Bengaluru tonight. But the fact remains that they also managed to score two in the first leg, a testament to their attacking abilities which was visible tonight from minute one.
The visitors did not seem nervous one bit as their players went about passing the ball with confidence, finding each other with relative ease. In fact, it was TC who began stronger tonight and credit to them for not getting overawed.
Their early dominance can be largely attributed to their success in the high press, something that they did with military precision. At times, Bengaluru's players found it hard to get out of their own box and it made for an intriguing affair.
#2 Toni Dovale scores screamer against run of play
Tonight, BFC displayed the grit and persistence that one usually associates with a quality side. They started off slowly and failed to create a single opening while the visitors continued to test them in the final third.
All of a sudden, very much against the run of play, Toni Dovale scored a cracking long-range effort to give Bengaluru the lead in the 12th minute. Nobody saw that coming. After exchanging a couple of passes, Dovale received the ball and found himself with acres of space to move ahead.
Trusting his instincts, he took one touch and unleashed a venomous stinger with his left foot. There was nothing that the TC Sports keeper could have done. Dovale's shot nestled right into the top right corner. He went on to score a hat-trick.
#3 Erik Paartalu scores freak goal to put things beyond doubt
Tonight, every single Bengaluru player was keen to get on the score-sheet. Two quickfire goals by Dovale boosted the confidence of the entire team and their influence on the match grew by the minute. Before TC Sports could realise, a third was struck as things took a turn for the worse.
Subhashish's cross into the box was cleared well but it fell straight onto the path of Erik Paartalu who was positioned at least 30 yards from goal. But he couldn't care less. The Australian pounced on the loose ball, took a touch and struck a fine half-volley from distance with his outstretched leg.
The ball looped over TC Sports keeper into the net, who was caught napping way outside his line. Nothing about that shot from Paartalu shouted "technique". He merely bought a ticket and won the lottery with a comical goal.
#4 Visitors refuse to put their hands down
They may have gown down to two early goals which made it nearly impossible for them to mount a comeback given the fact that they did leak 3 goals on home soil. But TC Sports refused to throw in the towel despite the odds being heavily stacked against them.
After Bengaluru's opener, they continued to attack the home side and did well to create a number of chances of their own. The clearest among them being the open header which they failed to capitalise on in the first half.
If there is one thing we learned tonight is that teams in the AFC display an unrealistic level of attacking instinct. Quality could be questioned but never question the intent. The side from Maldives ventured forward in numbers, making the clash far more exciting. TC Sports troubled BFC on multiple occasions from set pieces and should have scored at least one tonight.
#5 Empty stadium a cause for concern?
All said and done, Bengaluru did extremely well as they registered yet another victory which takes them into the group stage of the AFC Cup tournament. But one thing that could possibly be a cause for concern is the number of empty stands in the stadium.
Playing on home turf at the majestic, Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the BFC's players were slogging it out in front of a near-empty arena. Credit to the limited number of Bengaluru FC's faithful who were shouting their lungs out making themselves heard despite being less in number.
Talks about a unified league continue to gather momentum. If that happens, it's likely that some games will be played mid-week. The clubs need to rethink how they could possibly fill up their respective stadiums. After all, the game is nothing without its spectators. Viewer fatigue is another issue that they will have to deal with. Case in point being the near-empty NorthEast United FC and Delhi Dynamos stadiums.
