Around 30,000 fans had turned up to support their favourite team. Head coach Carles Cuadrat, too, had emphasised the home crowd factor as a weapon for his side to prevail in this playoff game and reach the competition’s main round.
It is not that Emami East Bengal were extremely sloppy and pedestrian, but their unforced errors, porous defence and inability to finish well hurt them in the 2-3 loss to Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr FC in Wednesday’s AFC Champions League II preliminary stage playoff clash at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Particularly before Sunday’s Durand Cup Derby against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant, a win in this game would certainly have been a confidence-booster for Cuadrat’s men alongside earning them a spot in AFC Champions League II. Unfortunately, a demotion to the AFC Challenge League is what they have to live with now following this defeat.
What ought to be hurting East Bengal more is their failure to capitalise after taking an early lead. A minute or two after kick-off, East Bengal had put pressure on Altyn Asyr, attacking from the flanks. And it took them just six minutes to go on the ascendancy.
Off Nandhakumar Sekar’s centre from the left, David Lalhlansanga’s header first struck rival goalkeeper Batyr Babaev’s leg before ricocheting off the post. Thereafter, off the rebound, David remained calm in the melee and ensured he slotted the ball home.
No wonder that was just the kind of start East Bengal needed against a side that has been quite consistent in AFC competitions. The Turkmen then proved why they are a force to reckon with in these tournaments.
In less than a quarter of an hour after East Bengal took the lead, Altyn Asyr restored parity through Myrat Annayev, who chipped the ball home off a long aerial ball from captain Ahmet Atayev. The visitors’ midfield wasn’t very operational, which allowed East Bengal to effect more moves, but their long centres and passes were accurate for most of the game. And that made matters tougher for East Bengal’s defence, which lacked in coordination.
The partisan crowd, thereafter, was left stunned a little before the half-hour mark when Selim Nurmyradov unleashed a superb free-kick from around 25 yards to put East Bengal behind. That could have been avoided though had Souvik Chakravarti not committed a needless foul on Nurmyradov to concede the free-kick.
Players of East Bengal FC and Altyn Asyr FC vie for the ball during their AFC Champions League 2 match at VYBK Stadium, in Kolkata, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. PTI
That strike from Nurmyradov had somewhat unsettled East Bengal, with the Annayev-Nurmyradov combination in particular keeping the hosts’ defence on its toes.
Cuadrat brought in both Dimitrios Diamantakos and Jeakson Singh at the start of the second half in place of Mahesh Singh Naorem and Mohammad Rakip, respectively to sharpen East Bengal’s attacks. But what followed was worse as into the seventh minute post change of ends, Mihail Titov doubled Altyn Asyr’s lead.
Off Rahman Myratberdiyev’s floater from the left, Annayev’s right-footer was blocked by goalie Prabhsukhan Gill, but Titov followed it well and was perfectly positioned to tap the ball in.
It wasn’t all over then for East Bengal as a few moments later, Saul Crespo’s solo effort — bisecting two rival defenders and finding the target — reduced the margin. East Bengal were still breathing.
Ten minutes before regulation time, East Bengal thought they had equalised, but substitute Cleiton Silva’s goal was disallowed for a foul on opposition custodian Babayev.
East Bengal did keep pressing for the equaliser, but errors in the final third, such as unsatisfactory ball control and wrong passes, hurt them. Besides, roving forward Madih Talal was barely visible in the first half except while taking one or two free-kicks.
