AFC Cup: Late strike secures Bengaluru FC top spot in group, New Radiant sinks to second

Bengaluru FC has taken the top spot in Group E of the AFC Cup, after beating Maldivian champions New Radiant Sports Club (NRSC) on Tuesday.

The Dhivehi Premier League champions started out strong and were in control of the match, even producing the first chance of the match within the first minute itself at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

However, Nishu Kumar’s last-minute goal secured the Indian team, scored during injury-time, the top spot in the group, sending NRSC to second place.

While NRSC has won their last 22 matches, earlier on Tuesday head coach Oscar Bruzon had said that he hoped to continue their winning streak as they faced Benagluru FC, adding that their performance in both matches against the team was important in qualifying to the second round of the AFC Cup.

NRSC and Begaluru FC will face each other again on the 25th of April.

Founded in 2013, Bengaluru FC is known as one of the giants in South Asian football, and had competed in the finals of the AFC Cup in 2016.

Bengaluru FC now has nine points, while NRSC has six points. The other teams in the group, Bangladesh’s Abahani Dhaka and India’s Aizawl FC are at the bottom of the group, neither teams have won any matches so far. Their first match against each other is set for Wednesday.