East Bengal FC (IND) 4-1 Al Arabi SC (KUW)
Kolkata: India’s East Bengal FC fought back to defeat Al Arabi SC 4-1 in extra-time to qualify for the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 Group Stage on Wednesday.
With the score tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the entertaining affair at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Kiriangan Stadium was settled by strikes from Basim Rashid, David Lalhlansanga and Rohit Danu to put East Bengal into the group stage draw to be conducted in Kuala Lumpur on August 18.
The first half was played at a frantic tempo with both teams not sitting back, with Al Arabi sounding the opening warning with Zeid Qunbar dragging a shot wide from outside the box in the fifth minute.
Backed by the home crowd, East Bengal kept Sulaiman Abdulghafoor busy with the Al Arabi custodian fielding Basim Rashid’s powerful effort before reading Jesin Thonikkara’s attempted curler perfectly.
Al Arabi were left wondering how they did not go ahead in the 23rd minute when Kenean Maleko burst into the box and his shot from an acute angle appeared to squirm past Prabhsukhan Gill, only for the East Bengal goalkeeper to recover in time to claw the ball away from the goal line.
There was no let up from either side in the second half with Anayo Iwuala producing a forceful run for the visitors in the 50th minute that left three markers in his wake but Gill stood firm to block the shot.
From the resulting corner, East Bengal broke forward with pace and it was four attackers against two Al Arabi defenders that ended with Khaled Al Marshed producing an outstanding last-ditch tackle to block Bipin Singh’s goal-bound effort.
The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 76th minute with Iwuala slotting home from 12 yards after Sandip Mandi had hauled Maleko down in the box.
With the clock ticking down, East Bengal pushed forward and were rewarded with the equaliser in the 90th minute when Jay Gupta thumped a header past Abdulghafoor from Rashid’s free-kick delivery to force extra time.
The home side were now in the ascendancy and it was no surprise that they found their second in the 108th minute with Rashid smashing home a wonderful volley.
Lalhlansanga and Danu added gloss to the victory with strikes in the 117th and 120th minutes respectively to confirm East Bengal’s progression and send Al Arabi into the AFC Challenge League 2026/27.
FC Arkadag (TKM) 3-0 FC Goa (IND)
Arkadag: FC Arkadag defeated India’s FC Goa 3-0 to secure their place in the Group Stage of the AFC Champions League Two 2026/27™ at the Arkadag Stadium on Wednesday.
After a listless first half, Turkmenistan’s Arkadag turned on the style after the break to put them in the Group Stage draw to be conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 18.
Arkadag controlled the tempo from the start, using the flanks to find spaces with Arzuvguly Sapargulyev causing problems for Bob Jackson Raj, who then had to keep out Begench Akmammedov’s close range effort before repelling Abdy Basimow on the rebound.
FC Goa found themselves on the backfoot moments later when Rahman Myratberdiyew powered his way down the centre before releasing Akmammedov, who miscued his grounded effort across the face of the goalmouth.
Arkadag threatened again in the 26th minute when Bashimov’s looping header from a corner looked to be dropping over the line, but Raj stayed composed to produce a diving save to claw the ball away.
The Indian side had a chance to snatch the lead in the 42nd minute from a set-piece situation but Francisco Feuillassier put too much weight on the ball for Sandesh Jhingan to cause damage with a glancing header.
At the other end, another chance went begging for Arkadag a minute before the break with Myratberdiyew sending his overhead shot sailing over the bar from just above the six-yard box.
Arkadag’s sustained pressure in the second half finally paid off in the 58th minute when Yazgylych Gurbanov’s cross into the box found its way to Didar Durdyyew, whose effort from inside a crowded penalty area slipped through the grasp of Raj and crossed the line.
Myratberdiyew doubled Arkadag’s lead in the 65th minute when he pounced on a loose ball before surging inside the box and calmly slotting home with a composed finish past a sprawling Raj.
FC Goa fell further behind in the 75th minute with Sapargulyev bending his free-kick past a rooted Raj and into the top right corner to seal the victory.
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