Bengaluru FC carved history for themselves by marching into the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup for the first ever time, beating Kitchee SC 3-2 in a pulsating game at the Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong. Bengaluru, who are only the fourth team from India to ever reach the quarters, will now play Hong Kong's South China across two legs, on September 13 and September 20.
Two goals from the captain Sunil Chhetri, and a winner from Daniel Lalhlimpuia sent the Ashley Westwood-coached team through to the last-eight, making them the only Indian club left in the competition. Bengaluru, who bowed out at the same stage in the same stadium last season when they went down 0-2 to South China AA, rolled out an impressive performance in every department.
However, it was Kitchee who shot into a seventh-minute lead when Rufino sneaked into the box and nodded home the captain Lo Kwan Yee's cross from the right, on the bounce. Bengaluru got to work without much ado, passing the ball around and forcing freekicks and corners out of the hosts.
The pressure eventually paid, as the equaliser came in the 31st minute when Eugeneson Lyngdoh was brought down by Huang Yang in the box, prompting referee Fu Ming to point to the spot. Chhetri stepped up and sent an audacious chip over Kitchee's keeper Wang Zhenpeng, who already committed, to make it 1-1.
Chhetri's second came only two minutes later. 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 Bengaluru's 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 Bengaluru's defensive line, got past Osano and fired past the keeper Amrinder.
The tie being a knock-out meant that the away-goals rule would not come into play and Bengaluru would need only a win to progress. Lalhlimpuia duly stepped up, making the most to pounce on a poor back-pass by Kwesi and slot the ball past Zhenpeng to make it 3-2.
After the third goal, Bengaluru continued to dominate, launching wave after wave of attack, but were let down by some wayward finishing. Daniel had probably the best chance of the game in the 88th minute when, after being sent through on goal and getting past Kitchee's high line, he shot wide. The misses, however, did not come back to haunt Bengaluru as the defence kept things tight to help the I-League champions cross the line.