Analysis: JSW Bengaluru limit FC Istiklol damage ahead of home 2nd leg
Hisor: The last two AFC Cup runners-up FC Istiklol of Tajikistan and JSW Bengaluru of India clashed at Hisor Central Stadium in the Inter-Zone Final first leg on Wednesday as the hosts emerged marginally on top courtesy of a first-half headed goal from Dmitri Barkov.
Bengaluru may not have got the valuable away goal, but they kept Istiklol at bay and limited the damage to only one goal conceded. They will take positives from their performance in Hisor as they look to secure qualification to the AFC Cup Final in the second leg in front of their home fans.
Quantity Over Quality
Aside from Barkov’s 27th minute header, Istiklol had only two shots on target from inside the box. The low block set up by Bengaluru boss Alberto Roca forced the Tajiks to resort to shooting from outside the area. The Spanish coach lined-up in a 5-4-1 formation and looked to congest the penalty area throughout. As a result, Istiklol’s 23 shots were mostly low-probability attempts from distance, seven of their shots were within the goal frame. The Indian side’s defence blocked six of those attempts, demonstrating their willingness to defend from deep.
Istiklol coach Mukhsin Mukhamadiev looked to get around Bengaluru’s solid backline by utilising Fathollo Fathuloev’s ability to deliver from set pieces and the captain came close on a couple of occasions, but Gurpreet Singh stood between Fathuloev and his first goal of the competition as the Tajiks continued their poor record from dead ball scenarios. The Tajikistan champions are yet to score a single goal from set-pieces in the 2017 AFC Cup.
Battle on the flanks
Bengaluru’s five-man defence not only established a defensive wall inside their penalty area, but the wing-backs system gave Roca’s men the advantage on the flanks as wingbacks Nishu Kumar and Collin Abranches nullified the threat of their opposite full-backs. Istiklol right-back Romish Dzalilov produced one successful cross all game while his opposite number on the left Akhtam Nazarov did not manage any.
Sterile Domination
Throughout the game, the visitors looked to be in the driving seat, dominating on the ground with 63.2% of possession, but also beating their opponents in the air with 73% of aerial duels going their way. The I-League side exchanged 520 passes during the 90 minutes, nearly double Istiklol’s 289. But for all their control, Bengaluru were inefficient.
Bengaluru managed one pass into Istiklol’s penalty area and completed just four crosses all evening. Their top goalscorer in the competition, Sunil Chhetri, often dropped deep to receive the ball and drifted wide while in possession. The captain made three touches inside the opposition’s box and failed to register any shots on target.
Nevertheless, Mukhamadiev will be left with plenty to contemplate as his side goes into a tricky away fixture against a Bengaluru side that will look to capitalise on their home advantage in the second leg.
Photos: Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com
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