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The majority of the 5800 in the stadium were Indian, and the disappointment is palpable.
But there isn't any need to feel so. BFC fought bravely and did so very well to become the first Indian club to enter the final of a major continental tournament. Well played boys, and keep your heads high. Nothing to be ashamed off here.
It has to be said that the slightly better team won in the end. Al Quwa Al Jawiya were irrepressible throughout the tourney, but the Indian champions gave them a helluva fight. Air Force Club become the first Iraqi club to win a major continental trophy (pan-Asia) and no one can begrudge them the honour.
For a nation where the headlines rarely spell out anything other than murder, bombs and other macabre scenes of death and destruction, the people will have something to smile about tonight
That is what football is all about.
And for that mabrook Al Quwa Al Jawiya - champions of the AFC Cup.
It was a pleasure covering this match with you guys. Thank you for reading!
Anirudh Menon signing out!
Toodle-ooo
98' OH HO HO!! THE BALL PINBALLS AROUND INSIDE THE BOX, BEFORE JOHNSON SENDS A LOOPING VOLLEY IN AND TALIB SAVES WELL, and falls on the ball like it's his long lost baby. Nothing you wouldn't expect off the Iraqi
97' Hammadi Ahmed pulled up for offside!
96' One last hurrah for the Indians now. Rino Anto is played in by a delightful Cameron ball, and he puts it in deep... but Talib collects! UFF!!
95' YELLOW for Fahad Talib for time-wasting tactics. Sigh.
93' Every other Iraqi player is down with cramp. Of course they are.
92' John Johnson has taken his Middlesbrough behind up top now! AND HE ALMOST BUNDLES THROUGH.
91' SUBSTITUTION - Samah Saeed OFF, Halkor ON. As my colleague Soumalya Moitra just despondently notes - they are pulling out every trick from the book, here.
90' SUBSTITUTION - Amjed Radhi, arguably the man of the match, so far, OFF; Ali Ghalioum ON
FIVE MINUTES ADDED ON
89' and the Oscar goes to.... Sameh Saeed. Chettri trips him, and Saeed rolls around like he's been mowed down by a tractor.
87' HOLY CAMOLIE!!!! OH CK VINEETH. OH CK VINEETH. Watson plays in a brilliant ball that finds Vineeth all out on his own - five yards out and with an open goal to hit. He swipes at nothing but thin air. OH CK VINEETH!
86' Juanan plays a horribly awkward ball straight back at Ralte. Mawia kills it dead with a beauty of a first touch. The goalkeeper has a first-touch that many of the outfielders out there would do anything to have.
83' Abdulameer Khadim twists and turns inside the BFC box... and promptly loses the ball. Hammadi and Radhi let the midfielder know just what they think of his decision not to square it to them. They weren't polite, shall we say.
82' Saeed walks into the BFC third - Udanta Singh as a wingback is really not a wise choice - and his cross causes all sorts of trouble, but Juanan cracks it clear.
81' SUBSTITUTION - Salam Ranjan Singh ON for an exhausted looking Alvaro Rubio
80' Air Force's keeper Fahad Talib goes down - seemingly with a minor injury - but he gets up after about two minutes. Roca looks exasperated with the time-wasting tactics being employed here.
78' While the three at the back has been a hopeless failure, the additional men attack are starting to press Air Force Club further back!
77' Hammadi breaks forward but Ralte does superbly to sprint off his line and clear the ball.
76' .... Radhi gets played down superbly by a Hammadi flick on, and he whips it inches wide of the post. THAT WAS SO CLOSE!
76' Bengaluru have a brief moment of magic but Vineeth miscontrols and Air Force break...
73' OH HAMMADI!!!! The goalscorer breaks through on goal, but Johnson crowds him out. JUST. Bengaluru are playing 3-5-2 and they are looking completely lost.
It all started with a brilliant raking ball from Al Medani!
72' LUCKY LUCKY BENGALURU. Emad Mohsin breaks free down the BFC left and with no one but the keeper to beat he squares it Radhi. The striker is a centimeter offside!! That was so silly from arguably the player of the match - Amjed Radhi!
71' Bengaluru need to UP their ante. And how.
Amjed Radhi wriggles his way through the BFC defensive blockade with some lovely skill before he squares it to the master poacher that is Hammadi Ahmed. He ain't missing that.
70' THE BALL IS IN THE NET! BUT AL MEDANI IS OFFSIDE!!
69' Mohsin breaks down the right and puts in an awkward cross that is frantically cleared
68' Second successive corner, but... it's rubbish.
67' It's rolled out to Watson and he floats it to a free Sunil Chettri on the edge of the box. He smacks a volley that Saud Naji does superbly to block. CHETTRI IS BRINGING IT!!!
66' Anto does brilliantly to win a corner. Eugeneson takes the corner...
I've got mail!! (Yaay) - Gijo Mathew writes in to say that "Chettri has been the best bet be it India or club football. He is aggressive and penetrates the opposition very swiftly. What he needs today is support. A small step towards giant leap in football"
Udanta's introduction is indeed a right step in supporting Chettri, Gijo!
63' SUBSTITUTIONS - Alwyn George and Nishu Kumar OFF, Udanta Singh and Keegan Perreira ON
62' OH SUNIL CHETTRI YOU BEAUTY. He skips past Saeed like the Iraqi doesn't exist before putting in a Godawful cross that flies wide out of play. A bit Jekyll and Hyde that from Mr. Chettri
61' OOOOOO Saud Naji has a header from close range that is saved well (and caught well) by Ralte. CLOSE!!!!
60' Radhi tries to force his way forward, but Johnson smacks the proverbial door in his face. Corner for Air Force
59' Samah Saeed puts in a cross. The ball is on a dhow floating back to Kerala right now.
57' Anto, Vineeth and George try to work a delightful little triangle down the BFC right, but the line ref pulls up play for offside. Superb decision that, the refereeing has been brilliant so far tonight *touchwood*
56' The game has PICKED UP immeasurably from the standards of the first half!
55' Air Force Club immediately counter, and Amjed Radhi plucks the long ball out of thin air like you and I would collect a raindrop, before mowing forward and whacking a decent shot wide
54'.... SUNIL CHETTRI IS THROUGH AT THE EDGE OF THE BOX!! HE SQUARES A BALL TO EUGENSON LYNGDOH AFTER SOME SUPERB BALL CONTROL BUT THE MIDFIELDER DRIVES HIS SHOT RIGHT AT ALI AL SAADI!!! OH MY!
54' Rino does well to draw a foul from Osama. The kick is taken quickly...
52' OI OI OI!!! Amjed Radhi nips the ball off Rubio's toes before he plays in Saeed on the right wing. The Iraqi pulls the ball back to Hammadi, but under pressure from Nishu Kumar, the striker pulls it handsomely high! That was another big chance!! BFC NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH THE BALL, HERE!
49' OH MY! AMJED RADHI!!! THAT REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN 1-0 AIR FORCE CLUB. Saeed plays in a beautiful cross that Radhi controls and then turns on a dime - all in one swift motion that leaves Johnson for dead. He proceeds to shoot hopelessly wide from 10 yards out with just the keeper to beat!
48' Lyngdoh gives the ball away to Emad Mohsin and he barrels down the left where he is stopped by a determined looking Alywn George. The ball s laid off to Zahir Al Medani but the Syrian is hacked down by an ugly Lyngdoh challenge
47' Nishu Kumar gives Osama a little roughing up. The Iraqi goes down far too easily.
46' Juanan has been a boss in the air, and Amjed Radhi backs into the big Spaniard as he wins the header. BFC are on the front foot right from the off!
Peep! Let's do this!
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BENGALURU FC 0 - 1 AIR FORCE CLUB (AL QUWA AL JAWIYA)