Lalchhuanmawia (right) of Bengaluru FC chases the ball in their AFC Cup match against Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim FC in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (Photo: R. Samuel)
A second half goal from skipper Safiq Bin Rahim propelled Johor Darul Ta’zim to a 1-0 win over Bengaluru FC in their AFC Cup Group H encounter at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
The win saw the Malaysian side consolidate their position on top of the group with six points while BFC are yet to open their account and are placed at the bottom.
Ashley Westwood put out a second-string side with emphasis placed firmly on not conceding goals as he went with a 5-3-2 formation. Vishal Kumar made his first appearance of the season while Sunil Chhetri and Kim Song-Yong were on the bench.
Johor kept the bulk of the possession but were found wanting for creativity as Bengaluru defended astutely. The match began at a frantic pace with Udanta Singh nearly getting his head on the ball from a cross and Pereyra Diaz flashing his cross-shot across the face of the goal all within the first 40 seconds. The tie though failed to produce any clear cut chances for either sides.
After knocking on the doors for most of the encounter, Johor finally got their goal in the 55th minute. After Keegan was adjudged to have fouled Mohammad Amirul, Safiq stepped up to fire in the freekick into the top corner. The midfielder had quite a task in getting the ball over the wall and to dip under the bar from close range, but did so with deceptive ease.
Mohun Bagan thrash South China PTI adds: In Hong Kong, Mohun Bagan notched up their second consecutive victory with a 4-0 thrashing of a 10-man South China of Hong Kong in an away match.
The I-League champions, who had drubbed Maldives side Maziya Sports and Recreation 5-2 in Guwahati, scored through Lenny Rodrigues (15th minute), Sony Norde (39th), Cornell Glen (45th) and Jeje Lalpekhlua (82nd) in a Group G match.
