East Bengal faced a tough challenge in the AFC Challenge League quarterfinals on Wednesday. They lost 1-2 to FC Arkadag from Turkmenistan, even though they played with only ten players. The match started well for East Bengal as Messi Bouli scored an early goal. He capitalised on a rebound after Dimitrios Diamantakos’s shot was deflected by Arkadag’s goalkeeper. The team looked strong and nearly increased their lead in the 17th minute. Diamantakos made an impressive run but his shot hit the post.
Turning point of the match
The turning point came in the 33rd minute when East Bengal’s player Lalchungnunga was sent off after getting a second yellow card, leaving the team with only 10 players. Despite being a man down, East Bengal continued to fight hard and create opportunities.
Richard Celis had a close chance in the 52nd minute but missed the target. Arkadag took advantage of having more players and started pushing harder. Shamammet Hydyrow tested East Bengal’s goalkeeper, Prabhsukhan Gill, with a challenging free-kick, but Gill managed to save it.
Late goals and defeat
Arkadag kept pressing and eventually their persistence paid off. They got a penalty when Shanazar Tirkishov was fouled by Sauvik Chakrabarti, allowing Altymyrat Annadurdyyez to score in the 89th minute. Annadurdyyez sealed the win for Arkadag with another goal in the last moments of added time, making the aggregate score 3-1.
Despite a strong start and their best efforts, East Bengal could not maintain their lead and ended their journey in the tournament. The team had qualified for the AFC Challenge League quarterfinals after winning the 2024 Super Cup and finishing at the top of Group A.
