East Bengal crash out of AFC Challenge League, lose to FC Arkadag in quarter-finals

A depleted East Bengal side suffered a 1-2 defeat against FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan, ending their AFC Challenge League campaign at the quarterfinal stage on Wednesday.

The match began positively as Messi Bouli scored in the opening minute of the second leg, but their prospects dimmed when Lalchungnunga received his second yellow card in the 33rd minute.

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Altymyrat Annadurdyyez's double strike (89th and 90+8th) secured the semifinal berth for Arkadag with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

The first leg in Kolkata on March 5 had ended in a 1-0 win for Arkadag.

East Bengal had secured their spot in the third-tier AFC club competition after winning the 2024 Super Cup. Their group stage performance saw them finish atop Group A with seven points, advancing to the quarterfinals.



The Red and Gold brigade started brilliantly when Bouli capitalised on a rebound from Dimitiros Diamantakos' shot, which goalkeeper Rausl Charyyev failed to hold.

Oscar Bruzon's side continued to press forward and nearly scored again in the 17th minute through Diamantakos' central run.

His attempt struck the woodwork, with Richard Celis unable to convert the follow-up.

Arkadag sought to establish control, but Shanazar Tirkishov's attempt went wide. A 30th-minute substitution saw Berdimyrat Rejebov replace the injured Ybrayym Mammedov.

The hosts gained an advantage when East Bengal were reduced to ten men after Lalchungnunga's second booking for fouling Yazgylych Gurbanov.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, East Bengal created opportunities on counter-attacks, with Celis heading wide from Diamantakos' cross in the 52nd minute.

Arkadag intensified their attacks as time progressed, with Shamammet Hydyrow forcing goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill into a save from a 76th-minute free-kick.

The breakthrough came when Annadurdyyev converted a penalty after Tirkishov was fouled by Sauvik Chakrabarti.

Annadurdyyev sealed the victory in added time with a determined run, finishing from 13 yards to advance Arkadag to the semifinals.


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