The start was far from ideal. But just when it mattered, East Bengal ensured they did the right things, winning 4-1 against Kuwaiti side Al Arabi SC in the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2 qualifier at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday.
The victory also earned East Bengal a place in the group stage of the ACL 2, with head coach Antonio Lopez Habas finally having a very good reason to smile.
After a rather drab first half, East Bengal found themselves trailing. Al Arabi went one up when Anayo Iwuala converted off a penalty in the 76th minute. Sandip Mandi committed a foul on an Al Arabi player who charged in from the right wing.
The referee pointed to the spot straightaway, with the East Bengal players also not appealing that much.
It seemed the AFC Champions League II spot would elude East Bengal once again. However, much to their good fortune, Jay Gupta had a fine header off a free-kick from the left to keep East Bengal alive in the game.
Like the regulation time, the first half of the extra time too ended 1-1.
But, in the second half of extra time, it was a completely transformed East Bengal, courtesy Mohammed Rashid. The Palestinian, one of the key players behind East Bengal’s ISL success last season, again underlined the significant role he plays for the team.
In the third minute of the second half’s extra time, Rashid slammed home a half-volley off a chip to make it 2-1 for East Bengal. Nine minutes later, David Lalhlansanga Hmar scored off a rebound after East Bengal went on the counter. Hmar certainly deserved credit for tricking the rival defender and the goalkeeper to make the scoreline 3-1 in favour of East Bengal.
The game was now heading the home team’s way. Hmar and Rohit Danu ensured it did.
In the 120th minute, Hmar did well again to have the Al Arabi keeper out of position, before setting Rohit up with a simple pass. All Rohit needed to do then was slot the ball home into an open net.
In those 15 minutes of play, East Bengal brought their A game into play, while their opponents’ mediocrity too aided them to a certain extent.
FC Goa crash out
FC Goa’s campaign in the ACL 2 qualifier ended with a 0-3 loss to Turkmenistan’s FC Arkadag at the Arkadag Stadium. The defeat sent FC Goa into the AFC Challenge League, the third tier of Asian club football.