East Bengal 0-2 Al-Seeb in ACL Two group game at Salt Lake Stadium
East Bengal FC lost 0-2 to Oman’s Al-Seeb at the Salt Lake Stadium (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan) in Kolkata on Tuesday in an AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 group-stage match, conceding twice in the closing stages of the game.
East Bengal’s hopes of progressing in the competition suffered a significant blow as the Red and Gold Brigade dominated much of the match but failed to convert chances and dropped points; the result leaves Antonio Habas’ side fourth in Group D with two points from four games, while Al-Seeb moved up to third with four points. The home side’s winless run in the AFC Champions League Two continued as concentration lapses late in the game proved costly.
The hosts created multiple scoring opportunities through David Hmar, Edmund Lalrindika, Dani Ramírez, Mohammed Rashid and Bipin Singh but were unable to finish them; Rashid missed a close-range chance in the first half and Ramírez also failed to capitalise on promising situations. East Bengal continued to fashion openings after the interval, with substitutes Ake Loba and Lukasz Zwoliński producing chances, yet none were converted into a goal.
East Bengal were forced into an early defensive reshuffle after Anwar Ali suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Sandeep Mandi in the 17th minute. The early change required Antonio Habas to adjust his plans and brought about an unexpected alteration to the backline, disrupting the hosts’ defensive organisation.
Al-Seeb adopted a deep defensive posture for long stretches, allowing East Bengal greater possession while waiting for moments to counter; that patience paid off when Axel Meye scored in the 85th minute with a composed finish and Zahir Al Aghbari added a stoppage-time strike to make the score 2-0. The Omani side increased intensity as the match wore on and exploited gaps in East Bengal’s defence at crucial moments.
Antonio López Habas made attacking substitutions to chase a winner, bringing on Ake Loba and Rohit Kumar in the 60th minute and Lukasz Zwolinski and Hardik Bhatt in the 71st minute, but the additions did not produce the decisive breakthrough. Loba, despite efforts after his introduction, could not deliver the needed output and the team lacked coordination in the final third, raising questions about why East Bengal’s attackers repeatedly failed to convert clear-cut opportunities in the continental competition.
To keep qualification hopes alive East Bengal must win their remaining group-stage matches and rely on favourable results elsewhere; they face Al-Hussein SC on November 24, 2026 at 7:15 PM IST in Kolkata before travelling to Iraq to play Al-Shorta SC on December 8, 2026 at 9:30 PM IST in their final Group D fixture.