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FC Goa managed to register a goalless draw against Qatar Stars League (QSL) side Al-Rayyan in Group E of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2021 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
FC Goa pull off a gritty display to keep Al-Rayyan at bay
FC Goa started the game on a positive note and played some quality passes between the Al-Rayyan midfield. The likes of Glan Martins and Edu Bedia put up a sturdy display and never allowed the visitors to dictate the proceedings.
The FC Goa defense was absolutely resilient throughout the entirety of the 90 minutes. Ivan Gonzalez and James Donachie refused to give an inch of space to the likes of Yacine Brahimi and Yohan Boli.
FC Goa's only real chance in the first half came from an Alexander Jesuraj shot from a distance. It was quickly parried away by Fahad Younis in the 38th minute before the teams went into the break.
FC Goa's defensive resilience and discipline continued even in the second half as Al-Rayyan came out all guns blazing. Crosses from Ibrahim Masoud and Mohamed Alaeldin kept testing the FC Goa defense.
Yacine Brahimi was in the spotlight for his trickery on the ball but never managed to find space in the tight FC Goa defense as the game ended goalless.
FC Goa climbed to third in Group E standings in the Champions League with one point on the board. Persian Gulf Pro League (PGPL) side Persepolis won 1-0 over UAE Pro League (UAEPL) side Al Wahda in the other fixture of the group.
FC Goa will face Al-Wahda on 17 April at 8 PM IST on Match Day Two of the ACL in Goa.
Bengaluru FC put ISL woes behind to shine against Tribhuwan Army
ISL side Bengaluru FC began a new dawn under head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli as they went on to win 5-0 over Nepal-based Tribhuwan Army in Round 2 of the Preliminary Round of AFC Cup 2021.
Bengaluru FC started the game slowly, failing to find gaps in the opposition midfield. The likes of Suresh Singh Wangjam and Erik Paartulu took a bit of time to settle down as the teams went into half-time with a goalless scoreline.
The Blues opened the floodgates in the second half, scoring five goals in just 14 minutes to dash the hopes of the Nepalese side. Rahul Bheke opened the scoring for Bengaluru FC as he headed home a corner in the 51st minute.
Sunil Chhetri slotted it home in the very next minute to double the lead for Bengaluru FC. Cleiton Silva made it 3-0 in the 61st minute before the Brazilian added one more in the 65th minute. Bheke scored his second within seconds to make it 5 goals for Bengaluru FC.
The Blues will face the winners of the second preliminary tie between Dhaka Abahani (Bangladesh) and Eagles FC (Maldives) in the play-off round on 28 April.
