Bengaluru FC romped to a commanding 5-0 victory over Nepalese side Tribhuvan Army FC in their 2021 AFC Cup Preliminary Round 2 clash at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim (Goa) on Wednesday night. After a goalless first half, the Blues scored five in the second period with Cleiton Silva and Rahul Bheke bagging braces and Sunil Chhetri also getting on the scoresheet.

Read: Bengaluru FC progress to AFC Cup play-off after resounding win over Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC

At the post-match press conference, Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli seemed content with the performance, however, he pointed out a few aspects where his team could improve in the coming matches. “It was very important that the team was patient. At half-time we played 0-0, we had some chances in the first half but we developed in the second half. The players showed a little bit of what we trained with and without the ball,” he said.

“A 100% quality was missing with the last pass. But I think it's not the players' fault, we didn't have many training sessions as a team in these four weeks. We stayed more in quarantine [than in training].

“I think they know everything. Now it's [about] the details which will come only when you play more matches and have enough training sessions. The details, what they have shown… I think we will get better. It's a very high-intensity style of football. So, you need more training,” he added.

Pezzaiuoli, who oversaw the commanding performance in his first match at the helm for the Blues, was particularly impressed with the performance of the youngsters, most of whom were second-half substitutes. “I saw [Namgyal] Bhutia play well on the right side. Naorem Roshan [Singh] playing at right-back was a new position for him -- he played as a winger before. He closed his side well and he was using both feet.

“Dama [Damaitphang Lyngdoh] is a midfield player -- for me, he's like a small [Andres] Iniesta. He's good on the ball, doesn't lose possession and it's the first time for him [too] to get some experience at this level. Edmund [Lalrindika] worked very hard to create space by pressing high.

“It was a good game from all the players coming inside [as a substitute]. The entire team's effort was high-level in this game.”

Bengaluru FC will now play the winner of the game between Bangladesh’s Abahani Dhaka and Maldives’ Club Eagles in the play-off tie. “Our training sessions have never been based on the opponents. We prepare for what we want to develop. The focus is on the next two weeks and because I don't work only for this group stage, I want to see a better team for the new season. Now for me, it's like a pre-season, and I will take every minute with the team,” Pezzaiuoli said.