Bengaluru FC went down fighting after a contentious decision condemned them to a 1-0 loss against FC Istiklol in the first leg of the 2017 AFC Cup Inter-zone final at the Hisor Central Stadium in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Wednesday.

A solitary strike in the 27th minute of the opening period by Dmitri Barkov gave Istiklol the advantage over the Blues ahead of the second leg which will be played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on October 18. Collin Abranches replaced Harmanjot Khabra at right-back in what was the only change that Albert Roca made from the side that held 4.25 SC to a draw in DPR Korea.

Bengaluru started strongly and defended with poise as they launched swift counter attacks on Istiklol to put them on the back foot. The home side, however, took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Bengaluru when Barkov met a Fathuloev Fathullo cross from the right with a brilliant diving header to break the deadlock.

Sunil Chhetri had a chance to equalise moments later after Lenny Rodrigues set him up but the skipper dragged his effort wide of the target. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu then denied Ehsoni Panshanbe with a terrific save to keep Bengaluru in the game at the other end.

The second half witnessed Bengaluru keep possession while trying to find a way past Istiklol’s defence. The hosts, on the other hand, opted to play on counter attacks and one such attack got them a free kick in a dangerous area just outside the box seven minutes into the second period. Gurpreet though was up to the task and pulled off another save to keep Roca’s men in the game.

Shortly after the hour mark, Bengaluru made a double substitution, bringing on Khabra for Abranches and Daniel Lalhlimpuia for Toni Dovale, as they looked to up the ante on Istiklol’s backline. Udanta Singh’s pace was giving the Tajik outfit a tough time but his final delivery was not incisive enough for a Bengaluru leveller.

The final quarter of the match saw end-to-end action with both teams gambling in attack. Chhetri was once again the main target in the box but India’s all-time leading scorer just couldn’t find the finishing touch on the night.

The Blues put their bodies on the line in the closing stages of the game and a quick counter attack right at the death nearly altered the course of the match. Udanta went on a solo run that saw him sprint beyond several defenders on the left wing. He then produced a powerful shot that was saved by the keeper. However, the rebound fell nicely for Chhetri, whose effort was clearly handled inside the penalty area by an opposition player. The referee though signalled to play on despite numerous protests by Bengaluru in what was the game’s most crucial moment as the final whistle blew seconds later.

Commenting at the end of the game, Chhetri said, “We played very well in the second half and I think we deserved a goal. But it’s only one goal and we have all to play for in the second leg at home.”