Bengaluru FC look to seal AFC Cup berth
Bengaluru: Boosted by three away goals, Bengaluru FC will look to seal qualification in the group stages of the AFC Cup when they take on Maldivian side TC Sports Club at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Tuesday.
A Thongkhosiem Haokip brace and Erik Paartalu's fourth goal since signing for Bengaluru gave the Albert Roca-coached southern outfit a 3-2 win in Male last week after they allowed TC to come back from two goals down to level things in what was a strange second half.
The visitors need to win by either a two-goal margin or win scoring more than three goals if they are to edge Bengaluru out and Roca, while sounding confident, warned his side against complacency.
"This tie is far from over. Yes, we've scored three away goals but we've also conceded two and I don't see why they won't take the game to us on Tuesday. That said, we are always confident of our abilities and more so at home. We need to focus and get the job done," said Roca.
Bengaluru seemed to be cruising with two quick second-half goals at the National Stadium when lapses in defence saw the hosts hit back through Anatolii Vlasichev and Ibrahim Mahudhee.
But a Haokip screamer in the 78th minute took out the fight from TC in what were difficult conditions.
"We had a tough time coping with the weather and pitch conditions in Maldives. Thankfully we have the chance to get the job done at home and we need to make the most of the familiar conditions," he said.
The win came at the cost of an injury to defender Harmanjot Khabra who had to be substituted after he picked up a hit to his chest. Khabra missed out on the ISL fixture against FC Pune City and won't be available for selection on Tuesday as he continues to recover.
Roca chose to rest names like Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Juanan Gonzalez, Dimas Delgado and Lenny Rodrigues and whether the Spaniard hands them a role in the fixture at home, remains to be seen.
"I am happy with the way the youngsters on the team have responded to responsibility and they surely need more game time. I will leave the decision late on whether or not I include players who didn't travel to the Maldives, in the squad for Tuesday," said Roca.
Group E, as it stands, has three slots filled with Abahani (Bangladesh), Aizawl FC and New Radiant (Maldives) booking their place in the continental competition.
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Woman in Himachal Pradesh bullies Kashmiri shawl sellers, video turns up on X
Shimla, Nov 25: A woman claiming to be a panchayat official was caught on camera warning two shawl sellers from Kashmir against trading their wares in Himachal Pradesh.
The 2.46-minute video that surfaced on social media showed the woman telling the two Kashmiris not to come to the village and asking them to say "Jai Shri Ram" to prove they are "Hindustani."
Sharing the video on X on Monday, National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, claimed that the video was from a village in Himachal's Hamirpur district.
"No one will purchase their products, buy from our Hindu people," the woman is seen telling others in the video. "Don't come in my area," she told shawl sellers.
Later in a post, Khuehami said that the chief minister's office had assured action against anyone found intimidating Kashmiris.
However, when contacted, the CM's media advisor Naresh Chauhan told the PTI that there was no such complaint. The matter would be looked into if any complaint is registered, he said.
A large number of Kashmiris come to the state to sell shawls and other products, while hundreds of Kashmiris labourers work in the state round the year.
It is highly condemnable that a woman, wife of a Sarpanch, is exhibiting communal behavior toward two Kashmiri men who traveled to Himachal Pradesh for business purposes. Her communal actions, as seen in the video, where she threatens them to leave the state, instructs villagers… pic.twitter.com/IIw2dkZPGt
— Nasir Khuehami (ناصر کہویہامی) (@NasirKhuehami) November 25, 2024
