East Bengal stunned Kuwait’s Al-Arabi with a dominant 4-1 win at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in the AFC Champions League Two preliminary knockout fixture, sealing a spot in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
Across 120 minutes, the home side showcased tremendous intensity. With only three foreign players available, East Bengal head coach Antonio Lopez Habas and his Indian players produced a performance to remember for the passionate East Bengal fans.
It was a bright start for the Kolkata giants. Backed by a roaring home crowd, East Bengal began with greater intensity and a clear ambition to score early.
In the sixth minute, Mohammed Rashid attempted a shot from outside the box, but it went straight to Al-Arabi skipper and goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor. Rashid perhaps had more time to take another touch and target either corner, but his effort lacked precision.
Until the 20th minute, the Red and Gold brigade continued to press around the Al-Arabi box, with Jesin TK and Edmund Lalrindika causing problems through their quick feet and stepovers.
The visitors largely relied on long balls, but East Bengal’s defence, led by Anwar Ali and Sandip Mandi, handled the pressure well.
Al-Arabi had their first real sight of goal in the 23rd minute through an attack from the left flank. The ball went through East Bengal goalkeeper PrabhsukhanGill’s legs, but he recovered in time to prevent it from crossing the goal line.
The tempo dropped slightly thereafter, but Al-Arabicreated two golden opportunities towards the end of the first half. In the 39th minute, Zeid Qunbar got a slight touch to a cross into the box, but could not direct it towards goal. Then, in first-half injury time, Kanean Maleko failed to time his jump properly from a cross from the right, sending his header wide.
The first half ended goalless, with East Bengal showing greater intensity and hunger.
That momentum continued after the break. In the 50th minute, following a quick save from Gill, East Bengal launched a counter-attack through Jesin and Bipin Singh. Jesin carried the ball forward before releasing it to Bipin, who had made an excellent run. However, after taking a touch, Bipin’s shot went wide.
Seven minutes later, Edmund unleashed a powerful effort that sailed over the crossbar as East Bengal continued to dominate proceedings, with Al-Arabitrying to settle through short passes.
Both teams then made changes, with P.V. Vishnu replacing Daniel Ramirez for East Bengal, while Ali Muhaisen came on for Abdalla Albuloushi for Al-Arabi.
However, just two minutes later, Sandip Mandi was penalised for tugging an opponent’s shirt inside the box, handing Al-Arabi a penalty.
Anayo Iwuala made no mistake from the spot. Gill dived in the right direction but could not keep it out as the visitors took the lead against the run of play.
Habas then brought on Chris Ikonomidis for JesinTK. In the 81st minute, Al-Arabi had a chance to double their advantage, but Yousef Majed’s header went wide.
That miss proved costly. In the 90th minute, Jay Gupta restored parity for East Bengal with a superb header from Rashid’s free-kick delivery. Gupta timed his header perfectly into the top corner, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
The roar returned to the Salt Lake Stadium as the game went beyond regulation time and into extra time.
During the first 15 minutes of extra time, Gill produced an important intervention as a sweeper-keeper, coming off his line to clear the danger, while Mandi made a crucial block to keep the score at 1-1.
East Bengal continued pushing for the winner in the second period of extra time and eventually got their reward in the 108th minute.
Rashid produced an excellent volley from the edge of the box, timing it perfectly to send the ball into the back of the net and send the home crowd into delirium.
The home side then added two more goals in the final three minutes, with David Hmar and Rohit Danushowing excellent composure to make it 4-1.
The final whistle sparked wild celebrations among the home fans and players as the Red and Gold brigade booked their place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, Asia’s second-tier club competition, with an emphatic victory.
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