Tribhuvan Army looks to upset Fancied Bengaluru FC

Committed home fans for the second straight week were in a  celebratory mood, following Tribhuvan Army Club’s thumping 5-1 win over Sri Lanka Police FC in the AFC Cup qualifiers held in Dasharath stadium in Kathmandu.

Tribhuvan Army Club(TAC) dominated proceedings after conceding an early goal to outclass the Sri Lankan league champions.

After squandering a handful of scoring opportunities and a goal  down in the first  28 minutes of play,TAC  quickly bounced back, regrouped and turned things around.

They resorted to an aggressive brand of football ,short crisp passes and used both flanks effectively to attack the opposition goal.They leveled the score and surged ahead  in the first half.

On the other hand, the  Sri Lankan outfit totally  failed to rebound in the second half as they slipped into mediocrity and sloppiness.They got literally overwhelmed by the opponent’s relentless  pressure and surrendered meekly.

Such was TSC’s dominance that they  went on a goal scoring spree, adding three more goals in the second half. 

TSC consisting  of one hundred percent  local talents is studded with current and past international players in the likes of Nawayug Shrestha,George Prince Karki, Bharat Khawas, Santosh Tamang,Jitendra Karki, Suman  Aryal,Bikesh Kathu and Tanka Basnet,

With the win,they  have advanced to the  second round of AFC Cup qualifiers(Preliminary Stage 2 )and  take on India’s Super League  side Bengaluru FC on April 14th for a place in the  group stage.

The match will be held at the GMC Bambolim stadium in Goa, India. The winner  will  then play the deciding play-off match against  the winner of Abahani Dhaka Limited (Bangladesh )  and  Club Eagles( Maldives) to advance to the group stage. 

The winner of the play-off match will be placed in Group D (South Zone) alongside Maziya S&RC(Maldives), ATK Mohun Bagan (India) and Basundhara Kings( Bangladesh).

 

TSC, runners-up of Martyrs A Division League  2019/2020 replaced champions Machhindra Football Club for the continental championship after the latter failed to obtain the AFC Club license,a mandatory requirement for participation in the competition.

Of the 13  Nepali clubs that applied for the license, only TSC has been issued the license  by AFC so far.

Certainly the  resounding victory over Sri Lanka Police  has boosted the confidence  and morale of the departmental outfit .That being said, nobody disputes  the fact that  there is a lot of hard work ahead that warrants a strong team effort.

Head Coach Nabin Neupane is well aware of challenges his team faces against the fancied Indian outfit composed of seasoned players and quality foreign recruits.

Odds are stacked against TSC, no doubt.Coach Neupane  should have a game plan and tactical strategies based on the opposition’s style of play, strengths and shortcomings by now,

On paper,the Karnataka based club is favored to win. Coach Neupane must avoid distractions.He should solely focus on his goals and instil confidence in players ahead of the crucial tie.

As for the team, they need to up the ante going into the match. They  got to stick to the game plan throughout ,effectively exploit opposition weaknesses and capitalize on scoring opportunities.  

Forgetting not,TSC have a chance to prove themselves. I understand it is easier said  than done but it is doable. In order for them to succeed, They must rise to the occasion and play to their potential.

Furthermore, as a team they have to stand out, offensively and defensively. At no point of the game can they allow inconsistency, sloppiness and lethargy creep into their performance.

There is no shortage of talent and experience in the Army line-up.The attacking trio of Nawayug Shrestha. Bharart  Khawas and  George Prince Karki are known for their goal scoring prowess.  

Their form and scoring touch will be key to the team’s success. It was heartening to see Shrestha score twice against Sri Lanka Police.

The effectiveness of midfielders when it comes to control and dictate the tempo of the game defensively and offensively will make a big impact on the team’s overall performance.  In the role of midfielders,  international duo Santosh Tamang and Tanka Basnet  must excel. 

TAC defense at the disposal of  international Jitendra Karki  and Suman Aryal is expected to be fully tested and will require sturdy and rock solid defensive work. They must improve their tackling and aerial skills. In addition, they will have to show strength and pace as well.

In  young international Bikesh Kuthu TAC has a talented  and skillful custodian .

On the other hand, Bengaluru  FC will be seeking to make amends to their disappointing 2020/2021 Indian Super League season. They finished seventh and missed the playoffs. 

With the sole objective to bolster the team’s performance, the Club has a new head coach in German  Marco Pezzaiuoli who served as Technical Director with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. 

In addition,they have signed  defenders Australian Tomislav Mrcela and Gabonese Yronda Musavu-King   to give depth to the defense that was shaky and vulnerable last season.

Having recovered from COVID-19,  India’s  thirty-six year old ace striker and skipper  Sunil Chettri spearheads a rejuvenated Bengaluru FC  against TAC. It is apparent that they will leave no stone unturned as they are expected to go all out for  an outright victory.

Let us hope TAC exceeds our  expectations and is able to upset the applecart.