The big news: Bengaluru falter at the final hurdle

Bengaluru FC lost 1-0 to Air Force Club of Iraq in the AFC Cup final on Saturday. Bengaluru FC were the first India club to reach the final of the event and were looking for a win that would mark one of the most successful sporting stories in Indian football history in recent times.

Air Force Club were the more dominant side throughout the encounter and were also looking for their first AFC Cup trophy. They first half saw both teams trying to get most of the possession but were unable to create chances to score a goal. Finally, in the second half, Hammadi Ahmed Abdullah scored the winner in the 71st minute for the win.

Despite the loss, Bengaluru will return home, proud of their achievement as they set a benchmark for Indian clubs by reaching the final. Before them, only two clubs – Dempo in 2008 and East Bengal in 2013 – had reached the semi-finals of the AFC Cup.

Other top stories

  1. Mumbai City FC beat NorthEast United 1-0 in a fiery encounter in Guwahati on Saturday. With the win, Alexandre Guimares's side moved to the top of the table with Jackichand Singh scoring the lone goal of he match. 
  2. Chelsea ran riot at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as they thrashed Everton 5-0 to go on top of the Premier League table. Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Pedro were clinical against a completely novice Everton side.
  3. Bayern Munich settled for a draw as they came back from a 0-1 deficit against Hoffenheim, who are on a 10-game unbeaten run, on Saturday. However, Munich did get lucky as Hoffenheim player Steve Zuber struck an own goal after Kerem Demirbay’s thunder strike.
  4. Atletico Madrid were stunned 2-0 by Real Sociedad on Saturday. Both the goals were scored through penalties from Carlos Vela and Willian Jose. Atletico are fourth on the table with 21 points as Real Madrid continue to be on top, two points ahead of Barcelona.