The only time Bengaluru FC used their head in the first half, they scored. Till then, they were restless and lacking composure in the attacking third, trying to force things after going a goal down early in the match.
Until the 41st minute, when Sunil Chhetri rose above the defenders and, while appearing to be hanging in the air, headed home Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s delicious cross from a corner.
That goal ended Johor Darul Ta’zim’s resistance. And with it, their reign as the AFC Cup champions.
Bengaluru shocked the Malaysian champions 3-1 in the second leg, and 4-2 on aggregate, to become the first Indian team to reach the final of the AFC Cup.
In the final of Asia’s equivalent of the Europa League, the Indian champions will take on Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Arabic for Air Force, in Doha on November 5
Twice before, Indian clubs have had their hearts broken in the semifinal stage of the AFC Cup.
The great Dempo team of 2008, an assortment of some of the best Indian talent and a few quality foreigners, was humbled 5-1 by Lebanese side Safa over two legs. In 2013, East Bengal were humiliated 7-2 by Al Kuwait.
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