Kolkata, Nov 4:
East Bengal’s attacking dominance counted for little as poor finishing and an inspired goalkeeping display saw the Kolkata side suffer a 0-2 defeat against Oman’s Al-Seeb Club in their AFC Champions League Two Group D fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.
The home side controlled much of the contest and created enough opportunities to take the lead, but repeatedly failed to convert them. Al-Seeb goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini emerged as the biggest obstacle, producing a series of crucial saves to keep East Bengal at bay. The result was particularly frustrating for the hosts, who had the better share of possession but lacked the finishing touch in the final third.
Dani Ramirez came close to opening the scoring in the 10th minute with a left-footed attempt that narrowly missed the target. Ibrahim then denied Edmund Lalrindika in the 20th minute, before Mohammed Rashid headed the rebound wide. The goalkeeper was again called into action in the 33rd minute, making another important save to prevent Ramirez from finding the net.
East Bengal continued to search for a breakthrough after the interval. Al-Seeb briefly threatened through Axel Meye, whose header from a corner went over in the 48th minute. Ibrahim produced one of his finest saves in the 61st minute, keeping out Ramirez after a promising move involving Jay Gupta and substitute Ake Loba. At the other end, East Bengal goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa made a sharp reflex save in the 76th minute to deny Omar Almalki, who failed to convert the rebound.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 85th minute when Meye controlled Hassan Al-Ajmi’s cross, got past defender Sandip Mandi and fired the ball into the net. East Bengal struggled to recover from the setback, and Al-Seeb capitalised once again in stoppage time. Meye turned provider this time, setting up substitute Zahir Al-Aghbari, who found himself unmarked before calmly slotting home in the 90+1st minute.
The defeat leaves East Bengal at the bottom of Group D with two points, while Al-Seeb moves to third with four. For the Kolkata outfit, the result highlights a recurring problem: possession and attacking intent are of little value without clinical finishing. Having created several clear opportunities, East Bengal will have to improve its conversion rate if it hopes to revive its campaign in the competition.
Result: East Bengal FC 0 lost to Al-Seeb Club 2 (Axel Meye 85, Zahir Al-Aghbari 90+1).