AFC Cup: Bengaluru's giant leap of faith

BENGALURU: Skipper Sunil Chhetri stole the show as Bengaluru FC knocked defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim out of the AFC Cup, beating the Malaysian side 3-1 in their semifinal second leg on Wednesday to become the first Indian club to reach the final of the prestigious competition.
The Blues, who drew the first leg 1-1, rallied from a goal down with a brilliant brace from Chhetri (40, 67) and a powerful header from defender Juanan Gonzalez (76) to seal their berth in the final.
The I-League champions will face Air Force Club of Iraq in Doha on November 5. The euphoria of the away goal advantage lasted just 10 minutes for the hosts as JDT seized the lead in the 11th minute. The Bengaluru defence was caught napping as JDT's Kunanlan Subramaniam drove in through the middle and relayed the ball to an advancing Safee Sali. The striker then came up with a stinging shot that Bengaluru goalkeeper Amrinder Singh was quick to parry . However, JDT skipper Safiq sneaked in through the left and calmly headed in the rebound to trigger delirious celebrations among the 40-odd visiting fans. Bengaluru, though rattled, were soon back in attack mode as they swept forward, looking for the equalizer.They rued their luck in the 21st minute when the referee disallowed a handball by a JDT defender and six minutes later, it was Chhetri's turn to see his attempt come off the crossbar.
Captain shows class
Bengaluru finally got the breakthrough from one of their trademark corner set-pieces when Chhetri broke free of his markers to meet Eugeneson Lyngdoh's dipping kick with a fine header into the far post in the 40th minute and send over 21,000 fans in the venue into a frenzy.
The stage was now set for an exciting second session and Bengaluru began strong -CK Vineeth weaved past the JDT defence to set up Chhetri on the left, but the skipper's attempt was wide of the goal.
Coach Albert Roca's decision to use Chhetri as a striking combination with Vineeth instead of deploying him in the wings worked wonders as the duo kept the JDT defence occupied. Dominating possession and building the play forward, Bengaluru surged in the 68th minute when Vineeth skipped past two defenders to slip the ball to Chhetri. The talismanic skipper made space for himself and from nearly 10 yards outside the box, unleashed a venomous right-footed strike that curled out of the reach of JDT goalkeeper Mohd Izham Tarmizi and into the near post for a stunning finish.