Lachenpa saved East Bengal a point in Oman, and Habas says his side were too tired to win it

East Bengal went to Oman needing a win and came home with a point. The Indian champions drew 0-0 with Al Seeb at the Al Seeb Stadium on Tuesday, 27 October, and it took a late save from Phurba Lachenpa to keep even that.

The result leaves East Bengal third in Group D of the AFC Champions League Two with two points from three games. Al Seeb, who had lost both of their first two matches without scoring, have their first point of the campaign.

A late parry

Al Seeb were the livelier side early on. Abdulmageed Al Balushi forced Lachenpa into a save in the eighth minute, and Ahmed Al Riyami curled a left-footed shot just wide from the edge of the box after Abdulaziz Al Maqbali had carried the ball down the left.

East Bengal’s best chance of the first half came around the half-hour. Edmund Lalrindika slipped David Lalhlansanga into the box, but his left-footed shot was too weak to beat goalkeeper Muatasim Al Wahaibi. Anwar Ali also shot over from a similar spot.

Edmund had the clearest opening after the break. He got away from Hassan Al Ajmi in the 49th minute and then put his shot over the bar from inside the box.

The finish nearly went against them. In the closing moments Al Seeb pushed for a winner, and Lachenpa kept out a late effort from Al Aghbari. A goal there would have left Habas’s side with one point from nine.

Habas: “too tired”

Antonio López Habas did not dress it up. He called it a bad performance and blamed fatigue, saying his players could not keep up the intensity or the transitions, and that a week of travel away from Kolkata had taken its toll.

“It’s possible to win here, and it’s possible to win against Al-Hussein and Al-Shorta too, but here the score is 0-0,” he said. “We have to fight and change this performance in Kolkata.”

He also offered the one consolation available. When you can play better, he said, it is better not to lose than to lose. That is true, but it is thin comfort for a side that flew to Oman needing three points.

Three points off second place

The other game in the group on Tuesday night between Al Shorta and Al Hussein finished 1-1, which did little for anyone chasing them. Al Shorta lead on seven points and Al Hussein have five. Only the top two go through to the round of 16.

That puts East Bengal three points behind second place with three games left, and the next one is the return against Al Seeb at the Salt Lake Stadium on 3 November, kick-off 7:15 pm IST. Al Hussein come to Kolkata on 24 November, and the group finishes away to Al Shorta on 8 December.

Anything less than a win on 3 November and East Bengal would be relying on both of the group leaders dropping points. Habas said he was “100% sure” his team would be back to their level for it. They will need to be.

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