Now Reading: East Bengal beat Al-Arabi 4-1 to reach ACL Two group stage
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East Bengal beat Al-Arabi 4-1 to reach ACL Two group stage
East Bengal qualified for the AFC Champions League Two group stage on Wednesday night, thrashing Kuwait's Al-Arabi 4-1 at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the…
The Story in Brief
East Bengal qualified for the AFC Champions League Two group stage on Wednesday night, thrashing Kuwait's Al-Arabi 4-1 at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the ISL champions scored three goals in the second period of extra time. Captain Mohammed Rashid struck a superb half-volley, substitute David found the net, and Rohit Danu tapped in the fourth. Sandip Mandi made a crucial block to keep East Bengal level. The draw for the group stage will be held in Kuala Lumpur on August 18.
The Red and Gold Brigade had earlier conceded a penalty in the first half but equalised in the 90th minute to force extra time. Jay Gupta and Rohit Danu also scored for the home side.
The Indian Opinion
Indian football fans are rightly celebrating East Bengal's extra-time blitz, but the lopsided coverage ignores the 1-1 deadlock after 90 minutes against a Kuwaiti side. Headlines that scream "miracle" or "frenzy" bury the real story: three goals in the second half of extra time from substitutes David and Danu. The test now is whether the Red and Gold Brigade can hold their own against West Asian clubs in the group stage. If they ship an early penalty like in the first half, all this talk of a turnaround will ring hollow.
Sources (5): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2), sports.ndtv.com (3), sportstar.thehindu.com, sportstar.thehindu.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above.
