East Bengal LOST TO Kuwait SC

A spirited fightback in the second half was not enough for East Bengal as the Indian club went down 2-4 to defending champions Kuwait SC in the first leg semifinal of the AFC Cup football tournament here.

For Kuwait SC, Issam Jemaa struck twice in the 18th and 33rd minutes, while Waleed Ali Jumah and Chedi Hammami scored a goal each in the 31st and 48th minutes respectively last night.

Uga Okpara and Lalrindika Ralte scored for East Bengal in the 66th and 87th minutes respectively at the Kuwait SC Stadium.

East Bengal were staring at an embarrassing defeat when Hammami struck just two minutes into the second half to make it 4-0 for the three-time winning hosts.

The visitors, however, sprung back to life after coach Marcos Falopa introduced Lalrindika Ralte and Cavin Lobo in the midfield.

Ralte was immediately in the thick of things as he fired a warning shot that just cleared the crossbar.
The substitute midfielder had a hand in East Bengal's first goal, floating in a corner from the left that was met by Okpara's powerful header into the back of the net.

Lobo went close with a low shot from the top of the box that flew just wide before Dika crafted a fine second for his side, taking down the ball on the left of the Kuwait SC box and cutting inside Al Sanea before lashing a fierce right-footed shot past Al Kanderi.

After being at the receiving end of the opposition's onslaught in the first half, it suddenly looked like East Bengal were calling the shots after the lemon break save that strike from Hammami.

Dika, as he is fondly called, himself scored a gem of a goal from a Lobo assist just before the final whistle to reduce the margin.

AFC Challenge - Indian football arrives Yangoon

The Indian national football team reached Yangon on Tuesday morning for the upcoming AFC Challenge Cup which kicks off March 2.

The squad left Mumbai late on Monday evening, and landed early morning at the Yangon International Airport here via Singapore.

India are the first team from their group to arrive. Besides hosts Myanmar, Chinese Taipei and Guam are the other teams in the group.

However, keeping in mind Churchill Brothers' and East Bengal's commitments in the AFC Cup, the squad would be assembling in three batches.

The four players from Churchill Brothers - Sandip Nandy, Denzil Franco, Lenny Rodrigues and Sunil Chhetri - would be joining the squad on Wednesday while the three East Bengal players - Raju Gaikwad, Mehtab Hossain and Robin Singh - would be landing in Myanmar on Thursday.

"It feels nice to land in Myanmar for the AFC Challenge Cup. It's a tricky group and all the teams are very competitive ones," national coach Wim Koevermans said.

"This is a very important tournament for us in fact the most important. We need to play to our potential. The boys are in good shape," winger Clifford Miranda stressed.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year Syed Rahim Nabi stays confident the squad will rise to the occasion.

"We need to keep our faith in ourselves. We need to back ourselves both on and off the field. We need to behave as a team," Nabi said.

Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua who made a comeback into the squad after almost a year said the tournament would be a challenging one.

"We have played Myanmar and Chinese Taipei in the recent past and they are very dangerous opponents. Guam would also put up a tough challenge. I'm happy and relieved that my hard work has paid off. Every player wants to be a part of the national squad. This is a new beginning for me. I will have to work harder and wait for my chance," Lalpekhlua said.

Pailan Arrows defender Shouvik Ghosh maintained the Camp in Pune was a fruitful one.

"It was a learning curve for me. The intensity of international football is what makes a player mature. The coach did have some specific instructions for me and I'm improving as a player with his suggestions."

India play Chinese Taipei in their first match March 2.

The 23-member squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul (Prayag United), Sandip Nandy (Churchill Brothers), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC).

Defenders: Nirmal Chhetri, Syed Rahim Nabi (both from Mohun Bagan), Denzil Franco (Churchill Brothers), Gouramangi Singh (Prayag United), Rowilson Rodrigues (Dempo SC), Shouvik Ghosh (Pailan Arrows), Raju Gaikwad (East Bengal), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC).

Midfielders: Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers), Lalkamal Bhowmick, C.K. Vineet (both from Prayag United), Arata Izumi (Pune FC), Mehtab Hossain (East Bengal), Francisco Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Alwyn George (Pailan Arrows), Jewel Raja Shaikh (Mohun Bagan), Clifford Miranda (Dempo SC).

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri (Churchill Brothers), Robin Singh (East Bengal), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC).