East Bengal held 2-2 by Al-Hussein in AFC Champions League Two Group D opener in Amman
On 16 September 2026 at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan, East Bengal drew 2-2 with Al-Hussein SC in the opening Group D match of the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27. The result left both teams with one point from the group-stage opener.
East Bengal reached the AFC Champions League Two group stage after defeating Kuwaiti side Al-Arabi in the Preliminary Stage, while Al-Hussein, the 2025–26 Jordanian Pro League champions and top-seeded team in Group D, had dropped into ACL Two after a 3-0 loss to Uzbek side Pakhtakor in the ACL Elite Qualifiers. The match in Amman was the first encounter of Group D in the competition.
Habas’ side drew first blood when former Real Madrid reserves striker Dani Ramirez scored in the ninth minute. Defender Anwar Ali added a second for East Bengal in the 40th minute, putting the Red and Gold Brigade 2-0 up before half-time.
Al-Hussein responded after the break when Almardi reduced the deficit in the 61st minute to make it 1-2. The hosts completed the comeback with an 87th-minute equaliser from Assaf, and the match finished 2-2, with both sides taking a point.
As it stands, East Bengal and Al-Hussein sit level atop Group D on one point each following the draw. Al-Shorta and Al-Seeb were playing each other in the other Group D fixture and were scoreless after 40 minutes; if that game finished 0-0 all four teams would be on one point, with East Bengal and Al-Hussein occupying the top spots on goal count.
The original report noted that East Bengal, described as India’s solitary hope in ACL Two, would be disappointed to surrender a 2-0 lead after 60 minutes, but added that a draw away to the group’s top seed represented an optimistic start given the contrast in squad depth. The article also referred to the result as a positive away performance for the Indian side.
East Bengal return to domestic action ahead of the Indian Super League 2026-27 season, which begins on October 10th, and will face Al-Shorta at home on 13 October 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium. Al-Shorta was described in the report as an almost century-old club, one of Iraq’s most successful teams with eight Iraqi Stars League titles, a member of Baghdad’s Big Four, and the winner of the inaugural Arab Club Champions Cup in 1982.
