Mumbai City FC are going to the AFC Champions League once again as they defeated Jamshedpur FC in the playoff by 3-1 and will be playing against Asia’s elite clubs for a second successive season. Mumbai City FC defender Rahul Bheke was very delighted to see them qualify once again.
Bheke came to Mumbai City with a lot of experience having played for many I-League clubs in the past and then gaining experience at East Bengal. He then joined Bengaluru FC and was a part of their title-winning campaign when he slammed home the header in the finals. Lastly, he joined his hometown club Mumbai City because of his experience, leadership and ability to play in multiple defensive positions.
Under his captaincy, the Islanders this season won the historic ISL League Shield and qualified for the Champions League second time in a row. Speaking about the AFC Champions League, Bheke only keeps on talking how representation is important and how such global events raise the bar for Indian football as a whole.
“It’s very important for any club to be able to represent India at this level. We have already done that once, and we are so happy that we will be able to do it again next season. It is the top level of football in Asia, and we want to prove our mettle there,” Bheke said in an interview with AIFF.
Bheke is keen to put up an even better performance in the Champions League. He became the first Indian to score in the Champions League in the Islanders’ 2-1 win over Iraq’s Al Quwa Al Jawiya.
Bheke shares how most people expected nothing from Mumbai City but once results kept coming, people started having hope. He feels that Indian clubs can get competitive at this level of Asian football.
“That was the first time we played (in the AFC Champions League) at that level, and I think everyone was surprised by our performance. We thought it would be very difficult, but once we got used to the level, we felt that we could also match those clubs. Physically, of course, they are in a better place, and the intensity was high, but we were able to show that hard work can take you places,” the experienced defender reflected.
However, his immediate focus is now on Super Cup which will be held in Kerala. Mumbai City are in group D alongside Chennaiyin FC, Gokulam Kerala and Churchill Brothers FC Goa. They will play Churchill in their first match on April 11.
