Bengaluru FC became the first Indian team to reach the AFC Cup final in history after skipper Sunil Chhetti's two goals, along with one from Juan Antonio, gave them a 3-1 (4-2 aggregate) win over defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia on Wednesday. The two teams were deadlocked 1-1 after the first leg.
Bengaluru went behind after Johor's Safiq Rahim scored early in the first half, but Chhetri stepped in and steered his team to victory. BFC will now face Iraq’s Air Force club on November 5 in Doha for the AFC Cup title. Bengaluru will fancy their chances in the final given the red hot form they are in and also the fact that they dethroned the defending champions in the semi-finals.
What BFC have achieved in three years is nothing short of awe inspiring. After winning the I-league and Federation Cup, and now qualifying for the final of the AFC Cup, they are the perfect example of how Indian football should run. They have the near perfect system to replicate the boost Indian football needs. The significance of this achievement could be assessed by the fact that only two Indian football clubs – Dempo Sports Club and East Bengal – had made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. They should celebrate their rise and also showing the country that there is others sports and not only cricket.
