On November 5, Bengaluru FC will create history when they walk on to the pitch for the AFC Cup final, becoming the first Indian team to do so in the history of the competition.
They will take on Iraq's Air Force Club, who defeated Al Ahed 4-3 on aggregate in a two-legged semifinal ti. BFC will have their tails up, having already vanquished defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim on their way to making history.
But it did not start very well for the Bengaluru-based club. They lost their first two group stage matches to leave their hopes of progressing to the next stages hanging by a thread.
Lao Toyota 2 - 1 JSW Bengaluru FC, Group Stage Match 1
Their first match against Lao Toyota FC of Laos ended in a surprise 2-1 defeat in Vientiane as the home team won their first ever AFC Cup match at the expense of the Blues.
A defensive error by Curtis Osano helped Lao take a second-minute lead, which was further extended by Phatthana Syvilay's superb free-kick after 34 minutes.
Although Lao went down to 10 men in the second half, CK Vineeth's last-minute strike was nothing more than a consolation for Ashley Westwood's men, who started their campaign on the backfoot.
Bengaluru FC 0 - 1 Johor Darul Ta'zim, Group Stage Match 2
The first of Bengaluru's four encounters against the defending champions Johor in the 2016 AFC Cup. It was always going to be a huge ask of the injury-hit Steelmen to go up against a team that had just pumped eight goals past their first opponents in the group stages.
The Blues, though, put up a spirited display and had their fair share of chances to score against the Malaysians but failed to so. Johor captain Safiq Rahim settled matters in the 55th minute with a superb free-kick. It was to be the first of three goals he would score against them in the tournament.
Bengaluru were in deep trouble after this game having picked up no points from their first two matches, but this was to be just the start of their continental foray.
Ayeyawady United 0 - 1 Bengaluru FC, Group Stage Match 3
Myanmar's Ayeyawady United posed a larger threat to BFC's chances in the competition than they did on paper. Anything less than a win and Bengaluru would have one or no points from a possible nine.
It was a tight affair in Yangon with skipper Sunil Chhetri's scuffed finish ultimately the difference between the two sides on the day. The home side did force Amrinder into making numerous saves, while CK Vineeth and Udanta Singh spurned chances to put the game to end.
This was the first win and the first goal in this season's competition for Westwood's men, who would soon face the same opponents at home.
Bengaluru FC 5 - 3 Ayeyawady United, Group Stage Match 4
A crowd of over 3,000 fans saw Bengaluru FC beat Ayeyawady United 5-3 at home, with a side that had all Indians in the starting line-up.
A relatively sedate first half saw CK Vineeth grab the lead, only for midfielder Thiha Zaw to hit back for the visitors and level it on the verge of halftime.
The game burst into life in the second half as quickfire goals from Alwyn George and Len Doungel gave Bengaluru a two-goal lead, before Christopher Chizoba hit back for Ayeyawady with a double of his own.
In what was a frenetic finish, substitute Beingaichho Beikhokhei got BFC's fourth, before Alwyn scored his second to get the home side their second win of the campaign.
Bengaluru FC 2 - 1 Lao Toyota FC, Group Stage Match 5
With an away match against Johor coming up, Bengaluru knew that they had to absolutely win this game or go to Malaysia and succeed against the odds.
Fortunately for them, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Kim Son Yong came up with the goods on the day, rendering Kazou Homma's second group-stage goal against the Blues inconsequential and giving them nine points from five games.
With this win, Bengaluru qualified for the knockout stages behind Johor, who had also qualified with five wins from as many matches.
Johor Darul Ta'zim 3 - 0 Bengaluru FC, Group Stage Match 6
There was little to play for in this dead rubber as both teams had qualified for the next round with a game to spare. Both fielded weakened sides but it was Johor who ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in the third clash between these two teams.
It was the skipper Safiq Rahim again who broke the deadlock with 20 minutes to go as Johor progressed with a 100% record. Bengaluru thus won three and lost as many of their group stage matches.
Kitchee SC 2 - 3 Bengaluru FC, Round of 16
Group F and Hong Kong Premier League champions Kitchee SC would provide a stern challenge to the Blues in this one-off Round of 16 clash. This was also to be Ashley Westwood's last game in charge of the Blues as head coach.
Bengaluru did not get off to the most ideal of starts, conceding as early as the seventh minute to leave them trailing in this crucial clash. However, Lyngdoh was soon brought down and Chhetri coolly chipped in his penalty to level things up. His second, coming from a cross from the right, was a good finish as Bengaluru took the lead.
Jorge Paramo would soon equalise for Kitchee as both the teams went into the break level on terms. The winner would come from an unlikely source with Daniel Lalhlimpuia grabbing a goal in the 51st minute to send Bengaluru through to the quarter-finals.
Bengaluru FC 1 - 0 Tampines Rovers SC, Quarter-final 1st leg
The first leg of Bengaluru's quarter-final threatened to turned into chaos on account of the Cauvery river dispute that engulfed the city on the eve of the match. Initial doubts over the match were settled when the AFC ordered the match to be played behind closed doors, keeping the players' safety in mind.
Add to the fact that it was new coach Albert Roca's first game in charge of the Blues and the match turned into a potential banana-skin for the home team. The Tampines Rovers had already knocked out an Indian club, Mohun Bagan, in the previous round.
Early nerves were settled when CK Vineeth smashed Alwyn George's pass home to give Bengaluru a seventh-minute lead. Bengaluru dominated the match but their finishing let them down as they finished the first leg a goal ahead and a clean sheet to boast of.
Tampines Rovers SC 0 - 0 Bengaluru FC, Quarter-final 2nd leg
Having kept the attacking trio of Billy Mehmet, Jordan Webb and Jermaine Pennant quiet in the first leg, the central defensive pairing of Juan Antonio and John Johnson were given the same task in the second leg.
It was a scrappy affair in which both teams had their chances to score, with Bengaluru hitting the post twice but unable to break through.
With this aggregate win, Bengaluru became only the third Indian team to qualify for the semis after Dempo in 2008 and East Bengal in 2013.
Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 - 1 Bengaluru FC, Semi-final 1st leg
Bengaluru came into the semis with history against them. The Blues had lost to Johor on three previous occasions, having scored only one goal against the Malaysians in their history.
Add to that the fact that the champions' strike-force of Jorge Pereyra and Juan Lucero had scored more than 50 goals in 2016 and it would be a huge task for BFC to stop the Argentine duo.
Amrinder Singh pulled off superb saves to keep the home team at bay in the first half, but Pereyra scored his sixth goal of the tournament to put Johor ahead.
Lyngdoh levelled with a left-footed wonder strike to give the Blues a crucial away goal heading into the second leg. The visitors held on as they headed to the Kanteerava for their first home match of the 2016-'17 season.
Bengaluru FC 3 - 1 Johor Darul Ta'zim, Semi-final 2nd leg
With Johor's Argentine duo suspended, Bengaluru sniffed blood as they aimed to become the first Indian team to reach the final of the AFC Cup. History weighed against the Blues as they had never beaten Johor before in four meetings.
Safiq Rahim came back to haunt the Blues and silence a 21,379-strong home crowd as Amrinder's spill was tapped in by the Johor captain and Malaysian international.
As on many occasions with the Indian national team, it was skipper Chhetri who came to the fore with two goals on the night. The first, a training ground manoeuvre, saw Chhetri expertly flicking in Lyngdoh's corner to equalise.
Chhetri then scored what was arguably the goal of BFC's cup run with a turn and shot from outside the box that gave Johor keeper Azamuddin Akil no chance.
New signing Juan Antonio then wrapped a famous win by heading a free-kick in. Lyngdoh got his second assist of the night as Bengaluru marched into the final of the AFC Cup three years after the club's inception.
