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Bengaluru FC played their penultimate AFC Cup 2021 edition game against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club Maldives. Neither side has had their best outing this season in the AFC Cup. Resultantly, they came into the game with nothing but pride to play for.
Bengaluru FC started the game on a positive note as they took the lead in the sixth minute through a Udanta Singh strike. Bengaluru FC then doubled their lead in the 19th minute through a Cleiton Silva finish. Before the whistle for halftime could be blown, Bengaluru FC tripled their lead in the 36th minute when Leon Augustine found the back of the net from a Cleiton Silva pass.
Maziya Sports and Recreation Club looked a dejected side in the second half but kept trying to get that consolation goal. They did manage to get their names on the scoresheet when Hamza Mohamed slotted the ball past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from a Cornelius Stewart pass in the 67th minute.
Udanta turned provider for Bengaluru's fourth goal as Sivasakthi Narayanan slotted the ball home from his beautiful cross in the 70th minute.
Asadhulla Abdulla scored the second goal for Maziya when he placed the ball into the goal from a Hamza Mohamed pass in the 82nd minute. Bidyashagar Singh put the game to bed once and for all by scoring twice in the last five minutes of regulation time to give Bengaluru FC a 6-2 victory.
On that note, let us take a look at four things we learned from the game.
#4 Udanta Singh shows glimpses of his old self
Udanta Singh has for some time now been dubbed the next big thing in Indian football. He has had his fair share of high moments in Indian football, but has underperformed over the past few seasons.
A lot has been said about Udanta losing his touch and not being the same during the course of last season. He has also lost his permanent starting spot in the Indian National team due to his recent form.
However, in this match, Udanta showed that he still has the speed and touch in him, and it is just a matter of time till he finds his old form back in its entirety. He managed to score a goal today and provide two assists to help his side win the match comfortably.
Bengaluru FC fans will hope the Manipuri winger can maintain his form throughout the upcoming season.
#3 Bengaluru FC demolish Maziya S&RC even without Sunil Chhetri
Marco Pezzaiuoli decided to bench Sunil Chhetri and give the youngsters a chance in today's game. They didn't disappoint as Bengaluru FC absolutely demolished Maziya Sports and Recreation Club. The likes of Leon Agustine, Bidyashagar Singh and Sivasakthi Narayan showed Marco that he has goalscoring options in his team apart from the Indian national team skipper.
The style of play the side adopted in the game will also give the Italian manager some hope for better things in the future.
#2 Bengaluru FC need to get their midfield in order
Even though Bengaluru FC completely demolished Maziya today, they have had midfield problems throughout the tournament. The lack of experience in midfield has been a big problem for Bengaluru FC.
The midfield has been improving match by match and today was their best performance by far. Even then, the side had specific issues during the game.
The midfield trio of Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane and Suresh Singh Wangjam were brilliant going forward but looked shaky at times while defending. The coach will always want his midfield to be compact, which is one aspect where Bengaluru FC can improve.
#1 Bengaluru FC bow out in style from the AFC Cup 2021
Bengaluru FC came into the game with nothing but pride to play for, which gave coach Marco Pezzaiuoli the license to tinker with the starting eleven and play some of the untested players. However, the Italian coach didn't make many changes and only benched Sunil Chhetri and played Leon Agustine in the starting eleven. Nevertheless, the team selection was enough to understand that Bengaluru FC wanted to win the game and bow out in style.
The Blues from Bangalore started the game with a bang and took the lead in the sixth minute. They went on to score five more goals before full-time to finish the game with a comprehensive 6-2 scoreline.
Marco Pezzaiuoli will hope his team can perform on similar lines during the upcoming Durand Cup and Indian Super League.
