History beckons Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru, October 18 

On the verge of scripting history, Bengaluru FC will seek to become the first Indian club to enter the final of the AFC Cup when they lock horns with defending champions Johor Darul Takzim in the second leg of their semifinal here tomorrow.

On earlier occasions, two Indian clubs — East Bengal and Dempo — had reached the semifinals.

The match will be the fourth meeting between Bengaluru FC and the Malaysian club in this edition of the tournament. In the group stage, Johor Darul Takzim had won both the home and away matches.

However, in the first leg of the semifinal, Bengaluru did not let the hosts dominate and came back with a crucial away goal from a 1-1 draw. “If we want to be in the final, we have to score a goal or two. The away goal is simply a consolation,” BFC coach Albert Roca said.

Despite the absence of key rival players, Bengaluru know it is important to guard against complacency. The visitors will be without Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Juan Martin Lucero and Amri Yahyah. “They are still the champions. They are still the favorites. It is not going to be easy but we are ready for it. We have shown we are competitive in the past and we have to show it again,” Roca said.

BFC have been good at keeping possession but they have struggled to score. In the first leg, Bengaluru had only 10 shots compared to JDT’s 24. — PTI