Alberto Roca may be only in his second game in charge of Bengaluru FC, but many have already begun to hail Roca as a messiah. His side has beaten one of the more fancied teams in the tournament – Tampines Rovers. They have now made it into the semi-final of the AFC Cup for the first time in their history as a club. The club generally has a habit of creating history.

The first leg of the encounter saw CK Vineeth help the Blues smash and grab a winner. The second saw a resolute BFC side keep the likes of Jermaine Pennant and Jordan Webb at bay to escape with a 0-0 draw in Singapore.

The Blues now join East Bengal and Dempo to become the only teams that have achieved the feat of reaching the semi-final of the AFC Cup.

Blues Defend And Defend And Defend

At Barcelona, Alberto Roca was in-charge of most of the set pieces and the attacking schemes the Catalans undertook for the most part. However, with Carles Cuadart by his side, Roca seemed as though he wanted to stamp his authority on the Blues lineup. The defensive organisation was world class to say the least. The center-backs John Johnson and Juan aka Juan Antonio impressed by keeping Billy Mehmet at bay for the most part.

Another important tactical switch made by Roca was the replacement of the left full-back. Lalchhuan Mawia was the left-back for the most part of the previous season. However, youngster Nishu Kumar was surprisingly trusted with the role of keeping Jordan Webb down on his tricks this season. Needless to say, the youngster impressed with some fantastic defensive work. He was also involved in a handful of attacking waves.

Cameron Watson, the new recruit straight from the A-League also impressed on the evening. He played the role similar to that played by Xabi Alonso, Michael Carrick, and perhaps even Paul Scholes. Alvaro Rubio at 37 also made a mark.

Frustrations Creep In For Jermaine Pennant And Jordan Webb

The Tampines Rovers are perhaps one of the better teams in Singapore. Their coach Akbar has been a master tactician in recent times. However, they simply could not break down what seemed to be a solid and an organised Bengaluru FC.

The Rovers boast of some terrific local players in the form of Shakir Hamza, goalkeeper and skipper Izumi, and Hafiz Sujad. In spite of this, Akbar and his coaching staff rely mainly on their front men – Jermaine Pennant and Jodan Webb.

While not many know Jordan Webb despite his obvious and astounding skills on the ball. But Jermaine Pennant is a player who is known all over the footballing universe as a world class commodity. Some point out that age has caught up with the player. But, the fact of the matter remains that Pennant comes from the previous generation of players such as Steven Gerrard and John Arne Riise.

However, in spite of the amazing reputations these players carried, on the night, their threat was completely nullified by the Bengaluru FC defence. Some have stated that the Blues played for the draw, but, the frustration on both players was there for all to see.

Jordan Webb did himself no good when he found himself in a book for a deliberate challenge on Nishu Kumar. Pennant looked out of sorts in the dying minutes of the game as well. 

Sunil Chhetri And Company Made Life Uneasy For Tampines

The first half saw the Rovers dominate proceedings on the attacking front. Pennant and Webb were creating havoc as the Bengaluru defenders did not get a single breath to themselves. In spite of Billy Mehmet not really being in his element on the day, the Tampines Rovers certainly had enough of an attacking threat to put the Blues on the back foot.

However, the second half was somewhat of a different story. Spurned on by Sunil Chhetri, the attacking force of Bengaluru began to take shape. Alwyn George also began to orchestrate wave after wave of attacks. Eugeneson Lyngdoh, the player to come the closest to putting the ball in the back of the net also chimed in with some fantastic footwork.

However, this resurgence would have meant next to nothing if not for the genius of the two front men – CK Vineeth and skipper Sunil Chhetri. While Chhetri dropped into a slightly deeper and central position, CK Vineeth was the powerhouse of the attacking unit. With a wrist-cast clad on his right hand, he resembled the very quick Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.

Their best chance came when Vishal Kumar smashed the ball goal-ward only for the goalie to spur the ball in the path of Alwyn George. The latter then only managed to find the post as the scores remained level.

Johnson And Juanan Stand Firm

As mentioned earlier, the Bengaluru FC defensive unit was simply rock-solid. In spite of many attack on the BFC goal, there were two men who stood firm on the defensive line was John Johnson and Juan Antonio. Antonio was still finding his feet after being slotted in the heart of the Bengaluru defensive unit.

However, Johnson was simply at his irresistible best. The 28-year old defender was a rock on the day. He simply thwarted the attacks from the likes of Jordan Webb and Billy Mehmet. The Blues will certainly be hoping that he will bring his ‘A’ game in the semi-final against Johor Darul Ta’azim, a team they have not beaten yet.

Picture Courtesy: FirstPost, Goal.com