Male, Aug 21: Bengaluru FC bowed out of the reckoning in the group stages of the 2021 AFC Cup with a goalless draw against Bangladeshs Bashundhara Kings, at the National Stadium here, on Saturday.
The result meant Bengaluru stayed third in Group D with one point, while Bashundhara climbed to the top with four points, ahead of ATK Mohun Bagan’s late clash against Maziya S&RC.
With Bengaluru FC needing a win to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the next stage. chief coach Marco Pezzaiuoli made three changes to the team that lost to ATK Mohun Bagan, with Parag Shrivas, Danish Farooq and Bidyashagar Singh replacing Sarthak Golui, Ajay Chhetri and Udanta Singh.
At the other end, Oscar Bruzon fielded a Bashundhara side that remained unchanged from their 2-0 win over Maziya.
In a game of two halves, Bashundhara held the upper hand in the first period and created some good chances. Bengaluru dominated the second half but could not score despite coming close on a number of occasions.
The Blues started the game positively, and the first good chance came with just five minutes on the clock when Danish picked out picked out Bidyashagar, on the run, with a nice lob but the youngster’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Bashundhara skipper Topu Barman.
Also, Jayesh Rane’s effort from the rebound rolled wide as the match ended in a stalemate. (IANS)
