AFC Champions League Two: Late Goals Sink East Bengal as Al Seeb Deals 2-0 Blow to Knockout Hopes

East Bengal dominated large periods of the contest but paid heavily for missed chances and a late defensive lapse, conceding twice in the final six minutes to suffer a damaging defeat at the Salt Lake Stadium.

East Bengal's hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 suffered a major setback after it lost 2-0 to Oman's Al Seeb at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday. In a match where the home side had opportunities to take control, two late goals turned a potentially valuable result into a disappointing defeat for Antonio Habas' team.

For much of the evening, East Bengal looked on the more threatening side. It created openings, pushed forward with intent and forced Al Seeb goalkeeper Ibrahim into important saves. However, poor finishing and an inability to maintain concentration in the closing stages proved costly.

Al Seeb struck through Meye in the 85th minute before substitute Zahir sealed the result in stoppage time. The six-minute spell effectively ended East Bengal's hopes of taking anything from a contest it had largely controlled for long periods.

The defeat leaves East Bengal fourth in Group D with just two points from four matches. Al Seeb moves up to third with four points.

The home side began positively, looking to put pressure on Al Seeb from the opening whistle. Jay Gupta delivered an early low cross from the left, while Bipin and David were involved in attempts to create opportunities inside the opposition penalty area.

Dani Ramirez quickly emerged as one of East Bengal's most dangerous attacking players. In the 10th minute, a promising move involving Edmund and Basim Rashid ended with Ramirez shooting narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

The biggest opportunity of the opening period came in the 20th minute. Edmund found himself with a sight of goal, but Ibrahim produced a save. The rebound fell to Bipin, who returned the ball into the middle for captain Rashid. However, Rashid's header drifted wide of the right post.

East Bengal continued to threaten, with Ramirez testing Ibrahim again in the 33rd minute. The Al Seeb goalkeeper produced an excellent diving save to his right to keep the score level.

The home side also suffered an early setback when defender Anwar Ali was forced off with an injury in the 18th minute. Sandip Mandi came on as his replacement, requiring an adjustment to East Bengal's defensive setup.

Despite the injury disruption, East Bengal remained the more proactive team. Al Seeb threatened mainly through counterattacks, with a long-range effort from Albusaidi narrowly missing the target just before half-time.

The teams went into the break at 0-0, but East Bengal had reason to feel it should have been ahead.

Missed chances continue after the break

East Bengal resumed the second half on the front foot. Jay Gupta's cross in the 46th minute found David, whose attempted flick towards goal lacked the required contact. Al Seeb also had opportunities. Shortly after the restart, Meye failed to convert a headed chance from close range, sending the ball over the crossbar.

The contest became increasingly open as both teams searched for a breakthrough. East Bengal introduced Ake Loba and Rohit Kumar around the hour mark, with Loba soon helping create an opportunity for Ramirez. The Spaniard's attempt was stopped by another impressive save from Ibrahim.

Edmund then missed a significant chance in the 63rd minute. Played into the right side of the penalty area by Rashid, the forward struck across goal but sent his effort wide. The home side continued to push. Rashid's effort took a deflection and went out for a corner, while Edmund came close again in the 55th minute with a header that drifted just wide after a cross from Mandi.

However, the inability to convert these opportunities kept Al Seeb in the contest.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 85th minute, and it came against the run of play. Hassan delivered a cross from the right, which Meye controlled inside the penalty area. The forward created space with a quick movement to get away from Mandi before firing the ball into the net to make it 1-0.

East Bengal immediately pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but its attacking urgency left space for Al Seeb to exploit. In the first minute of stoppage time, an East Bengal corner turned into the decisive counterattack. Meye collected the ball and spotted substitute Zahir making a run down the left. His cross found Zahir, who carried the ball into the box before calmly placing it into the bottom-right corner.

At 2-0, the contest was effectively over.

The result is a significant blow for East Bengal, which had entered the match needing points to improve its position in Group D. Instead, it remains on two points after four matches, while Al Seeb moves ahead with four.

For Habas and his team, the biggest concern will be the contrast between their performance for much of the match and the final result. East Bengal created enough opportunities to make the game competitive, but its finishing let it down. The late defensive lapses then turned a frustrating evening into a damaging defeat.

With the group-stage campaign continuing, East Bengal will need a stronger response in its remaining fixtures. The defeat in Kolkata has made the route to the knockout stage considerably more difficult, and the team can ill afford another performance in which promising attacking play fails to translate into points.