East Bengal held to 0-2 defeat by Al-Seeb at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in AFC Champions League Two on Nov 3, 2026
East Bengal lost 0-2 to Al-Seeb at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on November 3, 2026 in an AFC Champions League Two fixture, a result that the report says makes qualification to the knockout stage close to impossible. The hosts controlled much of the first hour but missed clear chances before Al-Seeb scored twice late in the match.
East Bengal were dominant for the opening hour, with Mohammed Rashid and Dani Ramirez both missing sitters that could have put the team in a stronger position. Anwar Ali was forced off with an injury in the 18th minute and was replaced by Sandip Mandi. Al-Seeb shifted the momentum in the final 10 minutes, scoring in the 85th minute through Axel Meye and adding a second in additional time on a counterattack.
Goalkeeper Lachenpa was largely untested until a point-blank header he saved around the 75th minute, an intervention that kept East Bengal in the game. He conceded the first goal at the near post from Axel Meye’s low finish in the 85th minute and then conceded again in added time to a precise bottom-corner finish on a flashing Al-Seeb counter.
On the right, Nunga allowed Bipin Singh to make repeated forward runs in the first half and was inconsistent with his passing. Nunga was not in position in the 85th minute for Al-Seeb’s opening goal and was among those who had pushed forward for the second goal and failed to track back. Zivulic delivered a relatively solid defensive display and circulated the ball from the back, but the defence lost balance and composure in the final minutes.
Anwar Ali’s 18th-minute injury removed a regular defensive presence; during his short stint he was described as rock-solid. Sandip Mandi, who replaced him, was beaten by Axel Meye’s sharp turn before the 85th-minute finish, with the report saying Mandi was unable to stop Meye.
Jeakson Singh operated in midfield for roughly an hour and is credited with retaining possession, keeping pressure on Al-Seeb and making clearances and interceptions. The East Bengal captain had a headed opportunity in the 20th minute that he put wide. Mohammed Rashid featured among the early missed chances alongside Dani Ramirez.
East Bengal’s attacking line produced limited returns: David did not register a single shot in the opening hour he played and was described as toothless in front of goal. Dani Ramirez took five shots, the most by any East Bengal player, and was denied by the keeper on two occasions. Jay Gupta made multiple runs down the left but failed to deliver productive crosses, came close with a late run into the box that was wasted, and did not stop the decisive 85th-minute cross.
Substitutes had little impact: Loba was brought on around the hour-mark but did not shoot and recorded only 6 touches; Rohit came on in a like-for-like change for Jeakson without notable errors or decisive contributions; Bhatt replaced Bipin and struggled to contain Al-Seeb’s late wing attacks; a Polish forward introduced in the 71st minute did not register a shot and was caught offside once.
The 0-2 loss leaves East Bengal in a precarious position for advancing from their AFC Champions League Two group, with the match report stating qualification to the knockout stage is now close to impossible.
