Mohun Bagan advances to AFC Cup knockout stage while Maziya ends in last with zero points
The AFC Cup playoff and Group Stage - South matches were held in Maldives
India's ATK Mohun Bagan advanced to the AFC Cup knockout stage without losing a single match in the group stage
While India's ATK Mohun Bagan advanced to the AFC Cup knockout stage following Tuesday's draw against Bashundhara Kings, Maldives' Maziya and Sports and Recreation Club failed to secure the third spot in the group stage.
The last two matches of the AFC Cup (South) Group D were held on Tuesday, Mohun Bagan faced Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings while Maziya played against India's Bengaluru FC.
The first match held between Mohun Bagan and Bashundhara ended in a 1 - 1 draw, which means that the Indian team traveled to the next stage without losing a single match in the group stage.
The team's first match was against Bengaluru FC on August 18, which ended 2 - 0. The team won its second match, against Maziya, with a 3 - 1 score, on August 21.
While Maziya's last match was against Bengaluru FC, these two teams were already eliminated from the tournament prior to this match having won neither matches played prior. Maziya lost it first match in the group stage against Bashundhara on August 18, with a 2 - 0 score. While it also lost it second match to ATK Mohun Bagan, Maziya lost its third match against Bengaluru FC, to determine the third spot in the group, with a 2 - 6 score on Tuesday night.
With Tuesday's results, Mohun Bagan maintained its top spot in the group with seven points and have advanced to next month’s Inter-Zone semi-finals. Second in the group is Bashundhara Kings with five points while Bengaluru FC -who earned a spot in the group after winning a playoff game against Maldives' Club Eagles on August 15- is in third with four points. Maziya ended the group stage in last spot with zero points, having lost all three of its matches.
The AFC Cup playoff and Group Stage - South matches were held in Maldives. While they were initially scheduled scheduled for May, the matches were subsequently delayed after Bengaluru FC players violated Maldives' Covid-19 protocols which led to a delay of the playoff game.
