Bengaluru: Erik Paartalu insists JSW Bengaluru can be proud of their efforts after a 2-2 draw with Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol in the second leg of the 2017 AFC Cup Inter-Zone final on Wednesday saw the Indian side eliminated from the competition 3-2 on aggregate.
Bengaluru went into the game at Sree Kanteerava Stadium a goal down following a 1-0 defeat in Dushanbe three weeks ago, and Nuriddin Davronov’s fourth-minute penalty left The Blues with an uphill task to advance to a second successive final.
Defender Rahul Bheke levelled but Harmanjot Singh’s red card late in the first half gave the hosts an almost impossible job and Dmitri Barkov’s 56th-minute goal all but ended the tie, before Sunil Chhetri’s penalty gave Bengaluru a glimmer of hope.
“It was a pretty hard shift once we went down to 10 men but the boys fought for their lives,” said Paartalu.
“In normal circumstances, to lose a penalty and get a red card in the first half, a 2-2 draw is a pretty good result, but it wasn’t enough to get us through.
“We knew we had to give everything in this game. The effort was there, we ran our socks off and we can be proud of our efforts, but we didn’t give ourselves a real chance tonight.”
With Bengaluru having not scored an away goal in the first leg, an Istiklol goal was always going to have huge consequences, but the timing of Davronov’s penalty left the hosts with one option: to attack.
From that moment, Bengaluru threw everything at their opponents, which often meant they were left exposed at the back as a thoroughly entertaining game ensued.
Twice after going behind, Albert Roca’s team managed to get back to level terms but, despite a valiant effort from the 10 men, it was not to be as Istiklol held out to return to a second final in three seasons.
“The early goal was a sucker punch because they already had a one-goal advantage,” added Paartalu. “We didn’t bring anything back from Dushanbe so when they scored an away goal we had to score three more.
“They then scored a second so it becomes very, very difficult. We’ve got to hold our heads high, we had some good times in the tournament and played some good stuff.
“Teams go through good and bad times and that’s how you grow. It’s a learning curve to play together – to win, to lose – it’s a big thing and hopefully it’s an advantage for us going into the Indian Super League season.”
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com