Now Reading: East Bengal Beat Al-Arabi 4-1 to Reach AFC Champions League Two Groups
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East Bengal Beat Al-Arabi 4-1 to Reach AFC Champions League Two Groups
East Bengal stormed back from a goal down to beat Kuwait's Al-Arabi 4-1 after extra time on Wednesday, sealing a spot in the AFC Champions League Two group stage. Trailing 1-0 from…
The Story in Brief
East Bengal stormed back from a goal down to beat Kuwait's Al-Arabi 4-1 after extra time on Wednesday, sealing a spot in the AFC Champions League Two group stage. Trailing 1-0 from the 76th minute, the ISL champions equalised through Jay Gupta's header in the 90th minute at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
In extra time, captain Mohammed Rashid volleyed home in the 108th minute, substitute David Lalhlansanga added a third in the 117th minute, and Rohit Danu finished off in first-half stoppage time. The Red and Gold Brigade, hit by injuries and fielding only two overseas players as per Times Now, will learn their West Region group opponents from the draw in Kuala Lumpur on August 18. FC Goa lost 3-0 to Turkmenistan's FK Arkadag, dropping into the AFC Challenge League.
The Indian Opinion
The usual narrative that Indian clubs lack the bottle for continental football took a beating on Wednesday. East Bengal, written off after conceding a 76th-minute penalty and missing key foreign recruits, dug deeper than any pundit expected. Equalising at the death and then scoring three in extra time is not luck. It is fitness and belief. The real test now is the group stage: can a team of mainly domestic players hold its own over six matches? The draw on August 18 will give a clear answer.
Sources (8): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2), sports.ndtv.com (3), sportstar.thehindu.com, sportstar.thehindu.com (2), sports.ndtv.com (4), timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 8 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 8 sources.
