Despite a spirited display, East Bengal were knocked out of the AFC Challenge League quarter-finals after a 2-1 defeat against Arkadag in the second leg. The Kolkata giants had earlier failed to capitalise on home conditions in the first leg, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat, which proved costly.
In the decisive away fixture, East Bengal put up a strong fight, but Lalchungnunga’s red card in the 34th minute made their task significantly harder.
After a disappointing ISL campaign, the AFC Challenge League had kept hopes alive for East Bengal fans, but with this exit, only the Super Cup remains their last shot at redemption.
In the build-up to this game, off-field controversies regarding East Bengal’s hospitality in Turkmenistan had made headlines. But once on the pitch, the visitors responded in the best way possible by taking the lead within just two minutes.
Raphael Messi Bouli opened the scoring after Dimitrios Diamantakos’ shot was parried away by the Arkadag goalkeeper, and the Cameroonian striker calmly slotted in the rebound from close range.
East Bengal had multiple chances to extend their lead. In the 17th minute, Diamantakos struck the post, and Richard Celis missed the target from the rebound. Around the half-hour mark, Mahesh Naorem delivered a floating cross from the left, which Celis set up beautifully for Messi inside the box, but his shot was denied by the goalkeeper.
Just when East Bengal seemed to be in control, disaster struck. Lalchungnunga, already on a yellow card, fouled Yazgylych Gurbanov at the edge of the box. The referee wasted no time in brandishing a second yellow, reducing East Bengal to 10 men.
Despite being a man down, the Red and Gold brigade showed resilience. The visitors barely let the numerical disadvantage be felt, and they even came close to doubling their lead in the second half when Celis headed in Diamantakos’ lofted pass, only to be ruled off-side.
With the numerical advantage, Arkadag dominated possession and launched repeated attacks, but East Bengal’s defensive structure held firm. Oscar Bruzon’s men blocked the central areas, forcing the Turkmenistan club to rely on the flanks.
In a rare attacking moment, Souvik Chakrabarti had a chance to restore East Bengal’s lead when he met Naorem’s low cross, but his shot went off target.
Then came the heartbreak. In the 86th minute, Arkadag were awarded a penalty after Tirkishov went down inside the box following a soft contact from Messi Bouli. Altymyrat Annadurdiyev calmly slotted the spot-kick past Prabhsukhan Gill, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
As East Bengal pushed forward in search of a late equaliser, Annadurdiyev struck again in added time, sealing the game and Arkadag’s place in the semi-finals of the AFC Challenge League.
With their AFC journey ending in disappointment, East Bengal now have one last opportunity to salvage their season, the Super Cup. The pressure is mounting, and the question remains: can they turn things around and bring the smiles back to the faces of their supporters?
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