AFC Cup: Bengaluru FC’s hopes of progression over after goalless draw against Bashundhara Kings

Bengaluru FC side bowed out of the reckoning in the group stages of the 2021 AFC Cup, following a goalless draw against Bashundhara Kings, at the National Stadium in Male, on Saturday.

The result meant the Blues 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.

Only group winners progress to the next stage.

Bashundhara, on four points now, should thank their goalkeeper Anisur Rahman for making a series of saves late in the match to help the Bangladesh Premier League champions earn a potentially crucial draw.

In a match where both sides had enough chances to claim all three points, Rahman and his Bengaluru opposite Gurpreet Singh Sandhu both proved unbeatable, with Bashundhara’s share of the spoils proving far more valuable in the group standings.

Marco Pezzaiuoli made three changes to the team that faced 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 an unchanged side from Bashundhara’s 2-0 win over Maziya S&RC.

The Blues started the game on the front foot, and the first good chance came with just five minutes on the…

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