Bengaluru FC 1-0 Maziya, AFC Cup 2017, As It Happened

BEN 1 - 0 MAZ, #AFCCup #BENvMAZ pic.twitter.com/tonzG1LWON
— AFC Cup (@AFCCup) May 31, 2017

That's all from us here. Stay tuned for more AFC Cup action this season as we follow the fortunes of Bengaluru FC.

And that's full-time at the Kanteerava as Bengaluru seal their place in the inter-zonal playoffs semifinals with a 1-0 win. Captain Sunil Chhetri scored the winner.

90+4' We are almost at the end of the game as Bengaluru look to run down the clock.

90+1' 4 minutes added on. 1-0

89' Bengaluru with a counter but Daniel slips at the most inopportune time. 1-0

82' Maziya set off on a counter but Juanan stands like a rock in Bengaluru's defence and deals with the danger well. 1-0

74' Vineeth goes off to be replaced by Daniel. Bengaluru are within touching distance of victory here.

71' Only 20 more minutes for Bengaluru to hold on to their lead now. Bengaluru 1-0 Maziya.

57' Bengaluru 1-0 Maziya. The Blues are on course to qualify for the next round

57' GOOOOAAAALLLL FOR BENGALURU!

Chhetri curls a freekick in from the edge of the box. That is the least the Blules deserved for their efforts.

53' It's been a similar story for Bengaluru in the second half as well. Lots of possession but no end product. 0-0

46' Early chance for Lyngdoh here but the midfielder's shot after a ghosting run into the box is blocked well. 0-0

46' And we are underway in the 2nd half.

BEN 0 - 0 MAZ, #AFCCup #BENvMAZ pic.twitter.com/v8bd56y39j
— AFC Cup (@AFCCup) May 31, 2017

It's been an entertaining first half at the Kanteerava Stadium but Albert Roca's Bengaluru have failed to break past an organised Maziya rear guard. Stay tuned for second half action in the must-win game for the Blues.

Half-time: Bengaluru 0-0 Maziya

45+1' Jhingan with a teasing cross from the right but it evades both Vineeth and Chhetri as the Kanteerava gasps in frustration. 0-0

45+1' 2 minutes added on.

45' Brilliant bit of interplay from Bengaluru but Chhetri strays offside to kill the move. 0-0

42' Vineeth almost runs clear on goal but for the imposing presence of Cordos. 0-0

41' Nishu with good feet down the left hand side after Eugene releases him. The wingback's cross is a dangerous one but dealt with well by the Maziya defence.

39' Jhingan gets into the referee's book for a lunging challenge on Ali Ashadh. The defender must keep his aggression in check now for the remainder of the match. 0-0

37' Chance for Maziya as Irufaan lets fly from 30 yards out but Amrinder parries it well for a corner. 0-0

36' Vineeth gets on the end of a headed pass from Alwyn but his effort is wide of target. 0-0

36' Foul count: Bengaluru 6-4 Maziya

33' It's been a game of crosses for both teams so far. Bengaluru have struggled to penetrate centrally while Maziya's plan has been to sit back and hit on the break.

31' Chance for Maziya as Johnson's mistake was almost pounced on by Habeeb, whose shot is held well by Amrinder. 0-0

31' Cross from Khabra but Vineeth controls the ball with his hand. Freekick Maziya. 0-0

29' Bengaluru's 3-4-3 was supposed to provide more width, but Maziya have tracked back well. Even Rakic is seen defending against Khabra on the right. 0-0

26' Khabra's cross after cutting infield from wide right is dealt with easily by the Maziya defence. 0-0

Shot count: Bengaluru 3-2 Maziya

23' Skipper Chhetri has taken a more central position now, having found no space to penetrate down the middle. 0-0

21' Vineeth with a strong run into the Maziya box but his cross with the left foot doesn't trouble Maziya.

19' Chhetri with some good play in the middle but Maziya are so packed inside their own defensive third that it's been difficult for the Blues to penetrate.

17' Chance for Maziya as Rakic hits the post with a diving header. Bengaluru survive a scare.

15' Eugene tried a chipped through ball to Chhetri but Pavel in the Maziya goal comes out quickly to collect. The final third quality has been missing so far in this game.

14' Vineeth with a fine turn with his back to goal but the 2nd touch takes the ball away from the striker. 0-0

11' Alwyn looks to be the chief tormentor for Maziya. The Goan almost gets through on goal by dribbling past two defenders but is eventually stopped.

10' Khabra's loose control leads to another possession gift from Bengaluru. The Blues need to make their possession count here.

8' Nishu Kumar looks to be the outlet for Bengaluru from the left. The wingback has already got past his marker a couple of times so far.

7' Maziya nearly create an opening from a crossed ball situation from the right but Johnson is there to take care of things.

6' The Blues are playing a back three by the looks of it.

6' Bengaluru are looking the better side here as their patient possession game almost pick Maziya's defence.

1' And we have kicked off.

A fit-again @chetrisunil11 trains ahead of kick-off. The skipper's recovered from a hamstring injury to make the starting XI today! #BFCvMAZ pic.twitter.com/wYan80siLA
— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) May 31, 2017

We are minutes away from kick-off at the Kanteerava Stadium.

Starting lineup for @bengalurufc vs @MaziyaSr! #AFCCup2017 #BENvMAZ pic.twitter.com/6ibuZ4Kc8x
— AFC Cup (@AFCCup) May 31, 2017

Sunil Chhetri has been declared fit to play.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the AFC Cup 2017.

Today, we have Federation Cup champions Bengaluru FC entertaining Maldivian champions Maziya in the last Group E match at the Kanteerava Stadium.

It is a must-win game for the Blues as they are three points adrift of Maziya in the Group E standings. A win today at home will seal their progression into the inter-zonal playoff semi-finals.

Maziya, meanwhile, have won three on the spin after their 1–0 setback in the reverse fixture against Bengaluru. They famously beat Mohun Bagan 5–2 in the fourth round of matches, hence it will be a tough test for Albert Roca’s men.

The match kicks off at 7.15 PM Indian Standard Time.