No Room for rigid system

The transition between competitions that are very different from one another CAN BE TOUGH. The AFC Cup was about two legs at a time, then two more and then the one-off final as opposed to the ISL, where the fixtures are a lot tighter.

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November has been a rollercoaster of a month,and I would like to do are wind of sorts. Through my last few columns, I have had the chance to take you aboard Bengaluru FC’s amazing journey in the AFC Cup. We defied the odds and battled our way through to a place where no Indian club has been before — the final of a continental competition.

We squared off against Iraq’s Air Force Club (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya) and I have no qualms in admitting that we fell short on the day and were beaten by a better team. However, we threw everything we had at them. And as disappointed as we are, the effort or the lack of it was never the reason we lost. That said, it was surreal to see the way the nation rallied around us right from the semifinal. We had so many messages, tweets, banners and posts wishing us the best. And our defeat in the final didn’t change the kind of pride these people felt after we made it to the title round. Bengaluru’s AFC Cup run will always be special and I am confident that it will spark a strong revival of Indian football.