Sunil Chhetri was in his zone as he led Bengaluru FC to a memorable 3-1 victory over Johor Darul Ta’zim. The win means that The Blues become the first ever side to enter the final of the AFC Cup.
The home side went a goal down early in the match but Juan Antonio’s header and a brace from Sunil helped Bengaluru register a historic win over the Malaysian side.
Also read: AFC Cup 2016: Bengaluru FC creates history, become first Indian team to make it to the final
Here are the player ratings:
Bengaluru FC
Amrinder Singh: 4/10
The goalkeeper made a glaring error which led to Johor’s opening goal. He failed to deal with Safee Sali’s stinging shot. His weak punch and the resulting loose ball fell right into Safiq’s path for an easy header into an open goal. Singh wasn’t tested much apart from that.
Rino Anto: 7/10
The right back was relentless down the right flank. He made himself available to his fellow midfielders and defenders. As the game progressed his impact on the game grew. Bengaluru’s attacks in the first half largely stemmed from Rino’s wing and his late runs into the opposition half posed a constant menace.
Juan Antonio: 7/10
Antonio scored an immaculate header to give Bengaluru a 3-1 lead. He rose high above everyone else and guided the ball into the back of the net from a difficult angle. He wasn’t tested defensively but made his mark with the third goal.
John Johnson: 6/10
BFC’s defensive stalwart, Johnson couldn’t have done much to deny Johor’s opening goal. The defender looked comfortable in possession and was never physically bothered. He did find Safiq and Safee’s pace troublesome but his positioning was on point.
Nishu Kumar: 4/10
Nishu found it hard to cope with the pace of the game. The youngster failed to deliver quality crosses when given the opportunity. Once Johor took the lead, nerves got the better of the 19-year old left back. He ended up conceding possession cheaply on more than one occasion.
Cameron Watson: 6/10
The Scot was sturdy in the heart of his team’s midfield. He sat deep and dictated the pace of the game for Bengaluru. Almost played as the third centre back and did well to stifle Johor’s creative midfield.
Alvaro Rubio: 6/10
The Spanish midfielder did well to win most of the 50-50 ball scenarios. He provided good cover to his centre-backs but some of his passes were wayward. Rubio was rarely marked and had ample time to find a pass on most occasions.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh: 9/10
Lyngdoh produced yet another masterclass from set pieces. Lyngdoh made his presence felt all across the final third. The midfielder ran all night. More importantly, he ran into dangerous spaces and used the width down the left as well as right flank. The midfield dynamo also chipped in with some effective defending as well. Lyngdoh ultimately set up 2 goals on the night and was arguably Bengaluru’s best player.
Sunil Chhetri: 9/10
Chhetri was easily the star of the night. Although he missed a glorious opportunity initially, he scored a bullet of a header from a corner to level the scores later on. The Indian striker topped it off a scorching long-range goal from outside the box. His curled effort stunned Johor as he gave his side a crucial 2-1 lead. A goal that will be remembered for ages.
CK Vineeth: 6/10
The 28-year old worked extremely hard for his side. He chased the ball in dangerous spaces and kept the opposition centre back’s on their toes at all times.
Alwyn George: 5/10
George couldn’t really involve himself in the game as much as he would have liked. He was speculative with his passes and was crowded out by Johor’s midfielders.
Substitutes
Keegan Pereira: 4/10
Pereira came on for Sunil in the dying minutes and added numbers to Bengaluru’s defence but did not produce anything noteworthy.
Salam Rangan Singh: 3/10
Salam was introduced in the final minute of the match and like Keegan, he added numbers behind the ball.
Doungel: 3/10
Doungel replaced Lyngdoh late on to celebrate a memorable victory.
Johor Darul Ta'zim
Izham Tarmizi: 5/10
The keeper didn’t have much to do in the match. His ball distribution wasn’t the greatest. As a result, he ended up conceding possession cheaply to Bengaluru far too often. Tarmizi did well to come out and block a dangerous cross from Lyngdoh but apart from that, dd not affect the game at all.
Azrif Nasrulhaq: 4/10
The full-back played as a right midfielder on the night. His impact was minimal and his fellow team-mates occupied his position as a result. He failed to track back and looked an isolated figure.
Amirul Hadi: 4/10
Hadi failed to feed his forward’s with penetrating passes. When an opportunity was presented, he released the ball a tad late always. He looked tired and was substituted at the hour mark.
Kunanlan: 5/10
The right back didn’t have the best of games. While he did maraud forward on multiple occasions, his final crosses never met it’s intended target. His centre-backs came to his aid when defending against Chhetri.
Marcus Antonio: 6/10
Antonio displayed grit and pace. He handled Sunil extremely well during one on one occasions. He marshalled his troops across the back line but was guilty of not attacking the ball when Sunil scored a header from the corner.
Aidil Zafuan: 5/10
The centre-back was bothered constantly during set pieces and it proved costly for his side. He failed to impose himself and appeared overwhelmed by what was at stake.
Safiq Rahim: 7/10
The diminutive midfielder scored the opening goal for his side and didn’t look back. Whenever Johor had the chance to counter Bengaluru, Safiq was ever present in advanced positions on the field. He pounced on Amrinder’s error to tap in a header into an open goal. Ultimately, he wasn’t ably supported by his team-mates.
Safee Sali: 5/10
Combined well with Safiq and used his pace to trouble Bengaluru’s defenders initially. His impact was greatly reduced in the second half.
Azammuddin Akil: 4/10
A lot was expected from the experienced forward but he failed to produce the goods when his team needed him the most. Akil was one of the poorest players for the Malaysian side on the night.
Hariss Harun: 5/10
Harun cut a frustrated figure in the middle of the park. His team-mates didn’t look to him for a pass and his minimal impact dwindled as the night progressed.
Fazly Mazlan: 5/10
Mazlan showed glimpses of his capabilities by spraying the ball across the pitch to stretch Bengaluru’s defence. But he became increasingly erratic once his side conceded the second goal.
Substitutes
Gary Steven Robat: 4/10
Robat came on as a substitute at the hour mark. The highlight of his performance being a dangerous tackle on Rubio that earned him a yellow card.
Aldstal: 3/10
The striker was introduced in the final ten minutes. He had a glorious chance to score immediately but his shot lacked power and went straight into the keeper’s arms.
