AFC Cup: Bengaluru FC looking to end campaign with win against Maziya

Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli stated that the Indian Super League (ISL) team will move forward regardless of the last result as they prepare for their final group match against local side Maziya Sports & Recreation in the AFC Cup.

On Saturday, Bengaluru FC fought hard but couldn't beat Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings in their AFC Cup Group D South Zone encounter. That 0-0 draw meant the Blues' dropped out of the contention for the inter-zone semi-final.

Now talking about their final match against Maziya, Pezzaiuoli said: "Maziya played two games and lost both, but we need to show them respect as a team. It's not easy, but in life, it's not always about winning. We want to progress and move forward regardless of the last result. We need to focus on our style and I hope today we make another step forward for our mentality. From the game against the team from Nepal in the qualifiers to the last game against Bashundhara Kings, we have made several steps forward."

"We have a fourth game in nine days, so we might have to approach it differently. Ashique [Kuruniyan] has an ankle injury, so he might be out for a period of time. We'll see what we can do with the players who are available."

Many chances were created by the Bengaluru FC players in Saturday's match but unfortunately for them, none converted into the goal. "We had a good game against Bashundhara Kings, created a lot of chances and I think we deserved to win. We were not happy on the night of the game, but we talked about it and are now looking forward to the next game," the coach said.

"Everyone is very positive and the team is highly motivated to finish well in this tournament. We trained well and I saw a good spirit among the players. We worked hard, both in training and in the gym, and we want to win this game," he added.

Tuesday is the final matchday of Group D of the AFC Cup 2021, where both ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC will fight it out against Bashundhara Kings and Maziya Sports and Recreation, respectively, at the National Football Stadium in Male.

ATK Mohun Bagan has it all to play for in their final matchday of the group, against Bangladesh outfit Bashundhara Kings. They have been perfect so far in their two games, earning six points, with five goals scored, and just a single goal conceded. Going into their match against Bashundhara Kings, anything except a loss will guarantee ATKMB top spot in the group.

In the other match, Bengaluru FC will be playing for pride, as they square up against Maziya Sports and Recreation. The Blues currently stand on the third spot in Group D, with a solitary point to their name, which came from a stalemate against Bashundhara Kings.

( With inputs from ANI )

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