AFC Cup: Lalhlimpuia sends Bengaluru into QFs

Bengaluru FC carved history for themselves as they marched into the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup football, beating Kitchee SC 3-2 in a pulsating game at the Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

A brace from skipper Sunil Chhetri (31st and 33rd minute) and a winner from young Daniel Lalhlimpuia (51st) sent Ashley Westwood’s boys through to the last eight, making them the only Indian club left in the competition.

Kitchee shot into a seventh minute lead when Rufino sneaked into the box and nodded home skipper Lo Kwan Yee’s cross from the right, on the bounce.

The Blues got really close from one such chance when Eugeneson Lyngdoh chose to smartly roll a freekick in the box, catching the Kitchee defence by surprise. But goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng charged out to keep attempts from Curtis Osano and Daniel Lalhlimpuia at bay.

However, the equaliser came just a minute later when Lyngdoh was brought down by Huang Yang in the box, prompting referee Fu Ming to point to the spot. Skipper Chhetri stepped up and sent an audacious chip over Zhenpeng who already committed to make it 1-1.

Chhetri’s second came only two minutes later and just like his first. A beautifully stitched move saw Rino send in a cross that was headed away by a Kitchee defender only to reach as far as Chhetri who smashed it home on the volley.

But a moment of weakness in defence three minutes from half-time saw Kitchee capitalise to make it 2-2. Christian Kwesi slid one in the box as Paramo Jorge sneaked ahead of the Blues defence line, got past Osano and fired past Amrinder.

Lalhlimpuia responded with what would eventually be enough as he made the most to pounce on a poor back-pass by Kwesi, intercepting the ball and putting it past Zhenpeng to make it 3-2.