5 good things that happened in Indian football in 2016

#1 Bengaluru FC reaches the 2016 AFC Cup finals

This is one of the biggest achievements of Indian football in many years. Bengaluru FC qualified for the 2016 AFC Cup after winning the 2014-15 Indian Federation Cup. Mohun Bagan who got knocked out from the AFC Champions League also had represented India in the cup. Both the clubs got direct entry to the group stages due to unused slots.

Bengaluru were in group H along with last year's AFC Cup champions Johor Darul Ta'zim, Ayeyawady United and Lao Toyota FC. The Blues managed the runners-up spot in the group and qualify for the next round. The team overcame Hong Kong club Kitchee SC in the round-of-16 to face Tampines Rovers in the quarter-finals. Tampines Rovers had qualified to the round-of-8 after defeating Mohun Bagan, but couldn;t get the better of Bengaluru.

Bengaluru FC faced the biggest challenge in the semi-finals of the tournament, where they had to face defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim. The Blues went into the game as the underdogs. The Indian club managed to clinch a 1-1 draw in the away leg of the fixture. However, the team made whole India proud by beating the reigning champions by 3-1 in the home game and qualifying for the finals of the AFC Cup.

The entire nation was proud of Bengaluru FC for their achievement and backed them in the finals against Iraqi team Air Force Club. Unfortunately, the Blues lost the game 1-0 and were left heartbroken. However, the players of the team will be given a heroes welcome when they return to India from Qatar.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

Know More

Edited by Staff Editor