Bengaluru out of contention after goalless draw

MALE: Bengaluru FC bowed out of the reckoning in the group stages of the 2021 AFC Cup with a goalless draw against Bangladeshs Bashundhara Kings, at the National Stadium here, on Saturday.

The result meant Bengaluru 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.

With Bengaluru FC needing a win to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the next stage. chief coach Marco Pezzaiuoli made three changes to the team that lost to 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 a Bashundhara side that remained unchanged from their 2-0 win over Maziya.

In a game of two halves, Bashundhara held the upper hand in the first period and created some good chances. Bengaluru, who had their chances in the first period, dominated the second half but could not score despite coming close on a number of occasions. Sunil Chhetri, Cleiton Silva and Yayesh Rane came close as they managed to rattle the woodwork a couple of times and were also thwarted by the rival defence on other occasions.

Bengaluru will be back in action on August 24, at the same venue, when they take on Maziya S&RC in their final Group D game. IANS

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