AFC Cup | Bengaluru FC beat Tampines, take big step towards spot in the semis

Bengaluru FC took a vital step towards their AFC Cup semifinal aspirations with a first-leg 1-0 win over Singapore side Tampines Rovers at the Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru FC, on Wednesday. A CK Vineeth tap-in from close in the 7th minute was enough to get coach Albert Roca’s reign off to a winning start and give the Blues an edge when they travel to Singapore for the away leg to be played on September 21.

Bengaluru were swift to put away the disappointment of playing behind closed doors, owing to the political situation in the city, when CK Vineeth landed an early blow to the visitors. The move began after Sunil Chhetri stole the ball off a Tampines player in the midfield and picked Alwyn George’s run perfectly. George was tackled just before he could pull the trigger in the box but the ball fell rather kindly to Vineeth whose tap in took a bit off the post before going in.

Sensing the need to nick a goal away from home, Rovers switched gears in the second half but Bengaluru had done enough to dig their heels in and take control of the game. In fact the home side will be disappointed at the number of chances they squandered, most, which if taken, could have effectively killed the tie for Tampines.