Bashundhara Kings head coach Oscar Bruzon said that they need to beat Indian outfit Mohun Bagan Super Giant to qualify for the next round (inter zone playoff semi finals) of the ongoing AFC Cup 2023-24.
“Now we have to beat them (Mohun Bagan) at home (Kings Arena) and get the top spot of the group. It's really our next game. If we want to qualify we need to beat them,” the Spainard told the reporters on Wednesday.
“Both teams are of similar level, So small details will make the difference, we have to be very aware and minimize mistakes and improve our scoring ratio as we are creating lots of chances every game,” he added.
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions kept their hope alive for the knockout stage of this ongoing secondary club football competition in Asia after a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Mohun Bagan.
Kings’ Brazilian stars Dorielton Nascimento and Robson Robinho ruined Mohun Bagan’s Australian forward Dimitri Petratos and defender Asish Rai’s lead in each half at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha Tuesday night.
Petratos scored from inside a crowded six-yard-box utilizing a cut back from his compatriot Jason Cummings off a cross from French midfielder Hugo Boumous in the 29th minute.
But Dorielton leveled the margin with a fine finisher off a through ball from Kings’ Brazilian captain Robson within just four minutes in the 33rd minute.
Hosts Mohun Bagan reclaimed the lead in the 54th minute through Asish, who was played through by Petratos’s well-timed pass following a neat build-up, but Robson equalized the level again while Kings were awarded with a penalty in the 70th minute.
“Actually, I'm not fully satisfied. As we did more merit than opposition to win the game. We played well, And created more open chances than them,” said Oscar after the draw.
“The way the second half started we were very close to being ahead in the score line. Unfortunately we conceded the second goal when we were dominating and being better than them,” he added.
Earlier in the day’s other match, hosts Odisha Football Club crushed Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives by 6-1 goals at the same venue.
Kings off to a disappointing start with 1-3 goals defeat against Maziya in their away match in September, but bounced back with 3-2 goals win over Odisha in their home match earlier this month.
However, Mohun Bagan are currently dominating the four-team Group D with 7 points and Kings are second with 4 points while Odisha and Maziya are sharing the same position with 3 points each.
The Bangladesh giants now have to beat Mohun Bagan in their next match to reduce the points difference. The teams will meet on November 7 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena here.
BDST: 1028 HRS, OCT 26, 2023
MN
