East Bengal creates new history

Kingfisher East Bengal scripted new history at west Sumatra in Indonesia as they reached the semi-finals of the AFC Cup beating Semen padang FC 2-1 on aggregate. They became only the second club from India to reach the last four of the tournament after Dempo SC had achieved the same feat 5 years ago.

East Bengal went to Indonesia with a 1-goal advantage which they scored in the first leg of the two-legged encounter. In Indonesia, the home team played dominating football keeping the visitors under pressure throughout the match. It paid off as they got the much-deserved lead through a left-footer from Edward Wilson after a goof-up from the East Bengal goalie. As the game moved on to the second half, with Paddong leading 1-0, tension began to creep up in the East Bengal camp. The injection of fresh legs in form of James Moga and Baljit Singh Saini gave East Bengal the much-needed urgency in the attack. The visitors equalized in the 78^th minute when Moga headed in a pinpoint centre from Baljit from the right. The visitors played out the rest of the match with stout defending, clearing away everything that came to their defense.

As the final whistle went-off with the score line reading 1-1, the jubilant East Bengal players burst out in celebrations. They are first team from Bengal to achieve such a feat and their unbeaten run in the tournament has set a new record as well.

The red and golds are now drawn against the Al Kuwait SC of Kuwait, the 2012 champions and perhaps the toughest team to face in the whole championship. The first is on 1^st October in Kuwait and the return leg is scheduled to be held on 22^nd October in Kolkata. Can East Bengal go one step further and overhaul Dempo’s feat of reaching the semis of the AFC Cup as the Indian club? Well, only time will tell us.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.