INDIAN CLUBS IN ASIA | presented by IndianFootball.Com

NEWS ARCHIVE | 2008 | 2007

14.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 6
Group A | Round 6 | Nehru Stadium, Margao | 16.00 IST:

Dempo SC 5-2 Sur Club, Oman
Goals: 1-0,2-0 Ranty Martins Soleye (31',39'), 3-0,5-2 Chidi Edeh (64',90'), 4-0 Climax Lawrence (72'), 4-1 Mohammed Salim Mohammed Al Sinani (75'), 4-2 Mohsin Saleh Rashid Al Harbi (86')

DEMPO:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 18-Valeriano Rebello, 3-John Charles Dias, 23-Dominic Noronha, 16-Samir Naik; 17-Joaquim Abranches, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges (68' 6-Peter Carvalho); 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C] (87' 29-Clifton Gonsalves), 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 4-Cressan Antao, 19-Johnny D'Cruz, 21- VP Satish Kumar, 24-Melwyn Rodrigues

SUR CLUB:
1-Ahmed Khamis Thunai Al Qulhati; 7-Talal Mohamed Mubarak Al Saifi, 8-Mohsin Saleh Rashid Al Harbi [C], 12-Daouda Traore, 16-Ali Saleem Saleh Al Farsi, 17-Omar Naji Ali Bait Saleem, 18-Mamoudou Camara (90+2' 22-Abdullah Rabeea Hadid Al Mukhaini), 21-Yaqoob Saleem Saleh Al Farsi (74' 26-Humaid Abdul Bari Yaqoot Al Gheilani), 23-Jalal Ya'qoub Yousuf Al Mukhaini, 24-Abdul Hafidh Thuwaini Suwaid (60' 5-Mohammed Salim Mohammed Al Sinani), 25-Humaid Juma Saad Allah Al Gheilani
Unused Subs: 2-Mohammed Khamis Juma'a Al Araimi

YELLOW CARDs: none

RED CARDs: Talal Mohamed Mubarak Al Saifi (43'), Ahmed Khamis Thunai Al Qulhati (90+1', both Sur Club)

REFEREE: Peter Green (Australia)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Matthew James Cream (Australia), Jason Paul Power (Australia)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Mindu Dorji (Bhutan)

ATTENDANCE: 4.000

MATCH REPORT:
Nigerian forwards Ranti Martins Soleye and Chidi Edeh each scored two goals as Indian champions Dempo claimed a place in the AFC Cup quarter-finals with a 5-2 victory over Omani side Sur on Wednesday. Climax Lawrence netted the other goal for the Goa club, who moved to the top of Group A, pending the result of the match between Al Muharraq of Bahrain and Al Ansar of Lebanon, which has been postponed due to the Lebanese crisis.
However, East Bengal's 1-0 loss to Ahli Sana'a in Yemen meant that Dempo clinched a place in the knockout stage as one of the three best group runners-up at the very least.
Substitute Mohammed Salim Al Sinani and skipper Mohsin Saleh Al Harbi scored for the visitors, who finished the game with nine men after Talal Mohammed Al Saifi and goalkeeper Ahmed Khamis Al Qulhati were sent off.
Dempo found their form on a hot and humid afternoon at the Nehru Stadium against a Sur side who were missing many of their best players and were a pale shadow of the side that beat Dempo 3-2 in Oman earlier in the campaign.
The home side dominated the opening half and took a deserved lead in the 30th minute when Al Qulhati was hesitant in gathering a cross by Nicolau Borges, allowing Martins to tap home the opener. The Dempo captain struck again eight minutes later when he chested down a cross from the right by Valeriano Rebello and fired home a sweet half-volley with his right foot. Sur's frustration boiled over when Al Saifi was sent off on the stroke of half-time for a two-footed lunge on Beto.
Dempo took full advantage of the extra man, extending their lead in the 64th minute when Beto's through ball released Edeh, who coolly slotted the ball past Al Qulhati in a one-on-one situation. Lawrence then added a fourth in the 72nd minute, firing a fierce shot into the top right corner of the Sur net from 25 metres. Dempo took their foot of the gas and paid the price when Al Sinani scored with a long-range effort three minutes later and Al Harbi added a second for the visitors with four minutes remaining. However, Edeh restored Dempo's three-goal advantage in the dying minutes, tapping in a cross from the right by substitute Peter Carvalho. Sur's misery was compounded when Al Qulhati was dismissed after flattening Edeh outside the box as the Nigerian attempted to complete his hattrick. (AFC)

14.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 6
Group B | Round 6 | Ali Muhsen Stadium, Sana'a | 17.45 IST:

Ahli Sana'a, Yemen 1-0 East Bengal Club
Goals: 1-0 Ali Mohammed Mohammed Al-Nono (43')

AHLI SANA'A:
1-Muaadh Mohammed Abdulkhaleq Abdulwali [C], 3-Ahmed Ibrahim Kellil, 5-Asaad Hamid Hussein, 7-Fuad Abdo Mohammed Al Ammari, 8-Wahid Mohammed Mohammed Al Khyat (71' 11-Ebrahim Ahmed Hasan Saleh), 10-Ali Mohammed Mohammed Al-Nono, 13-Sami Ahmed Ali Al Haimi (82' 4-Abdulaziz Mohammed Ali Al-Gumaei), 15-Yahya Ali Hussein Huban, 17-Ala Mohammed Abdullah Al Sasi, 19-Esam Mohammed Ahmed Awn, 25-Zaid Ahmed Hasan Saleh (53' 16-Adel Abdullah Ali Al Salemi)
Unused Subs: 6-Zaid Ali Esmail Al Naggar, 14-Hamada Ahmed Mohammed Al Zubairi, 21-Wesam Abdurabu Ali Ateik, 22-Gamil Ahmed Abdo Al Hubaishi

EAST BENGAL:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh [C], 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 8-Poibang Pohshna; 23-Mehtab Hussain, 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 7-Jayanta Sen (60' 15-Ike Ibe Gift), 9-Alvito D'Cunha (46' 6-Snehashish Chakraborty); 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal (80' 10-Dipendu Biswas)
Unused Subs: 24-Arup Debnath, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 20-Vinu Jose, 28-Vanlal Rova

YELLOW CARDs: Majekodumni Bolaji (62', East Bengal)

YELLOW-RED CARDs: Majekodumni Bolaji (89', East Bengal)

REFEREE: Dilovarshokh Orzuev (Tajikistan)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Safarmakhmad (Tajikistan), Alisher Karaev (Tajikistan)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Rustam Kholov (Tajikistan)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Manirul Islam (Bangladesh)

ATTENDANCE: 1.000

MATCH REPORT:
Yemen League champions Ahli Sana'a claimed their first win in Group B of the AFC Cup with a 1-0 victory over ten-man East Bengal, who fail to qualify to the quarterfinals as a result of the defeat.
The only goal of the game came in the 44th minute through striker Ali Al Nono while East Bengal finished with 10 men after Nigerian defender Majekodunmi Bolaji was sent off late in the game.
Ahli Sana'a were the best side in the first half and dominated the early exchanges and they had their first chance in the 11th minute when Fuad Al Ammari's shot was saved by East Bengal goalkeeper Subrata Pal. Ahli Sana'a continued to pile on the pressure and went close in the 22nd minute when Zaid Saleh steered Al Nono's cross over the crossbar before Al Nono sent a header over. The crossbar then denied the home side when Ahmed Ibrahim Kellil fired a long-range effort that rattled the woodwork for Ahli Sana'a. But Ahli Sana'a eventually converted their superiority into a goal a minute before the break when Al Nono broke the offside trap and bore down on goal before sending a right-foot shot past Pal. It should have been 2-0 in the first minute of stoppage time when Asaad Hussein's shot was pushed behind for a corner before East Bengal had their first notable chance with a freekick from Edmilson Marques that went wide.
East Bengal had another chance just after the break when Surkumar Singh's freekick went over the crossbar and then Al Nono's header went straight into the hands of the goalkeeper at the other end. Ahli Sana'a should have scored their second of the night in the 62nd minute but Yahya Huban's first time volley was saved by Paul and six minutes later Al Nono sent a shot into the side netting. But the best chance of the second half fell for Ahli Sana'a when Yahya Huban's header from a corner was cleared twice off the goal line by East Bengal's Poibang Pohshna and Mehtab Hussain with eight minutes remaining. East Bengal finished the game with ten men when Nigerian defender Majekodunmi Bolaji was shown his second yellow card in the last minute of the game. (AFC)

30.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 5
Group B | Round 5 | Saltlake Stadium, Calcutta | 15.00 IST:

East Bengal Club 0-0 Safa SC, Lebanon
Goals: none

EAST BENGAL:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain, 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 7-Jayanta Sen, 15-Ike Ibe Gift, 9-Alvito D'Cunha (84' 10-Dipendu Biswas); 19-Syed Rahim Nabi (69' 6-Snehashish Chakraborty)
Unused Subs: 24-Arup Debnath, 8-Poibang Pohshna, 16-Madhab Kumar Das, 20-Vinu Jose, 28-Vanlal Rova

SAFA SC:
1-Nazih Tay; 2-Ali Al Saadi, 3-Pierre Ploycarpe Milat, 8-Mohamad Korhani, 10-Rony Azar (78' 7-Mahmoud El Zoughbi), 11-Bernard Raphail Mbassi (63' 9-Hussein Tahan), 12-Rami Kaddoura, 15-Prince Bobby, 16-Ramez Dayoub, 18-Hamze Abboud (82' 6-Nour Mansour), 20-Khodr Salame [C]
Unused Subs: 5-Omar Quaida, 21-Hamzeh Salameh, 23-Youssef Baalbaki, 30-Mohamad Mokhtar Neemani

YELLOW CARDs: Debabrata Roy (60'), Dipendu Biswas (90+3', both East Bengal); Prince Bobby (45+1', Safa)

REFEREE: Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan), Aleksey Mironov (Uzbekistan)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Berdimurat Niyazdurdyev (Turkmenistan)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Junko Egawa (Japan)

ATTENDANCE: 10.000

MATCH REPORT:
East Bengal saw their chances of a place in the AFC Cup quarterfinals recede after the Indian side could only manage a goalless draw with Group B leaders Safa at Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday. Defences dominated in a game of few chances with Safa coming closest to breaking the deadlock near the end of the first-half when Mohamad Khorhani deceived keeper Subrata Pal only for Anupam Sarkar to produce an excellent clearance. The result means the Lebanese side top the standings on nine points with one game to go while East Bengal trail their rivals by two points.
Syed Rahim Nabi had the game's first chance with just two minutes gone but the East Bengal striker's header from Ibe Gift's left-wing cross flew wide by a whisker. Alvito D'Cunha was next to try his luck for the home side after quarter of an hour as the skipper worked an opening for himself but his shot was weak and Safa keeper Nazih Tay easily collected. Ghanaian Bobby Prince then struck a long-range effort that flew narrowly over the bar for Safa before Tay did well to beat away Surkumar Singh's 25-yard volley. Sarkar then came to the rescue just before the interval when midfielder Khorani's goal-bound effort eluded Paul but the defender was on hand to prevent Safa taking the lead.
The second-half continued in much the same vein as the first with chances at a premium and Nabi limped out of the action with 20 minutes to go to be replaced by Snehashis Chakraborty. And the substitute immediately tested Tay with a low right-footed drive that was well blocked by the keeper after being put through by D'Cunha. The skipper, far and away East Bengal's best player, again forged another chance for Chakraborty with a cross from an overhead kick but the latter could not convert the header. That proved to be D'Cunha's last meaningful contribution as he was replaced by veteran Dipendu Biswas due to a hamstring strain.
East Bengal now travel to Yemen to take on Ahli Sana'a in their final Group B game knowing they need a victory and hope other results go their way if they are to progress to the last eight. (AFC)

30.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 5
Group A | Round 5 | Sports City Stadium, Beirut | 19.30 IST:

Al Ansar, Lebanon 1-1 Dempo SC
Goals: 0-1 Ranty Martins Soleye (27'), 1-1 Hussain Hamdan (84')

AL ANSAR:
22-Lary Mehanna; 2-Imad Miri (72' 23-Hussein Hamdan), 5-Mohamad Mechlebmatar [C], 6-Mohamad Matar (46' 11-Mohamad Atwi), 7-Nabil Baalbaki, 13-Hussein Amin (58' 20-Nasrat Al Jamal), 14-Ahmad El Khodor, 16-Abdul Kader Deka, 18-Paul Rustom, 21-Mohamad Hammoud, , 25-Edilson Da Silva
Unused Subs: 1-Ziyad El Samad, 8-Sami El Choum, 9-Hassan Danash, 19-Mootazbellah Eijounaidi

DEMPO SC:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 18-Valeriano Rebello (82' 4-Cressan Antao), 23-Dominic Noronha, 3-John Charles Dias, 16-Samir Naik; 17-Joaquim Abranches, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges; 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C], 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 5-Marcus Peixoto, 6-Peter Carvalho, 20-Riston Rodrigues, 24-Melwyn Rodrigues, 29-Clifton Gonsalves

YELLOW CARDs: Hussein Amin (42', Al Ansar); Joaquim Abranches (15', Dempo)

REFEREE: Tan Hai (China)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Dequan Zhou (China), Qingwei Liu (China)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Kakabay Seydov (Turkmenistan)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Alisher Nikibaev (Uzbekistan)

ATTENDANCE: 1.950

MATCH REPORT:
...

16.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 4
Group B - Saltlake Stadium, Calcutta:

East Bengal Club 2-4 Al Wihdat, Jordan
Goals: 0-1,1-2 Rafat Ali Ahmad Jaber (6',24'), 1-1 Syed Rahim Nabi (12'), 2-2 Edmilson Marques Pardal (28'), 2-3,2-4 5-Hasan Abdel-Fattah Hasan Mahmoud (31',34')

EAST BENGAL:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh [C] (56' 7-Jayanta Sen), 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain (42' 6-Snehashish Chakraborty), 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift (70' 20-Vinu Jose), 9-Alvito D'Cunha; 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal
Unused Subs: 24-Arup Debnath, 8-Poibang Pohshna, 22-Vimal Pariyar, 28-Vanlal Rova

AL WIHDAT:
22-Mahmoud Ali Msallam Qandil; 5-Hasan Abdel-Fattah Hasan Mahmoud, 6-Basem Fathi Omar Othman (66' 3-Fadi Faris Nimer Shahin), 7-Musab Nabil Mahmod Al-Rifae, 8-Amer Deeb Mohammad Khalil (89' 12-Mosa Ibrahim Mosa Hammad), 10-Issa Husamaldean Issa Al Sapah (79' 27-Bamba Aboudramane), 13-Rafat Ali Ahmad Jaber, 16-Faisal Ibrahim Khalil Suleiman [C], 19-Haitham Hasan Saleh Semrin, 20-Mohammad Jamal Amin Jarrar, 22-Mahmoud Ali Msallam Qandil, 29-Hayder J Kadhem
Unused Subs: 2-Ahmed Moustafa Youssef Ali, 23-Wesam Ahmed Mohammad Ihzain, 26-Mohammad Ahmad Aref Al Maharmeh, 28-Mohammad Abdulraouf Abdelmo'ti Abdallah

YELLOW CARDs: Majekodumni Bolaji (54'), Edmilson Marques Pardal (74', both East Bengal); Hasan Abdel-Fattah Hasan Mahmoud (7'), Basem Fathi Omar Othman (51'), Fadi Faris Nimer Shahin (71'), Haitham Hasan Saleh Semrin (78', all Al Wihdat)

YELLOW-RED CARDs: Edmilson Marques Pardal (76', East Bengal)

REFEREE: Minh Tri Vo (Vietnam)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Manh Long Pham (Vietnam), Truong Xuan Nguyen (Vietnam)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Dinh Dung Phung (Vietnam)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Mahesh Bista (Nepal)

ATTENDANCE: 10.000

MATCH REPORT:
Al Wihdat revived their AFC Cup chances with a crucial 4-2 Group B victory over East Bengal at Saltlake Stadium on Wednesday. All six goals came in the first-half as the visitors were pegged back twice before eventually establishing an advantage they would never relinquish.
Rafat Ali gave Al Wihdat a fifth-minute lead before Syed Rahim Nabi equalised for Alok Mukherjee's side six minutes later. Ali netted his second of the game after 23 minutes only for East Bengal's Edmilson Marques to once again level the scores four minutes later. Parity did not last long, however, as Hassan Abdel Fattah bagged a quickfire brace to put Al Wihdat firmly in the ascendancy. Fattah gave the Jordanians the lead for a third time on the half-hour mark and bagged his second three minutes later.
East Bengal could not find a way back into the contest after the break and their task was made even tougher with the 76th-minute dismissal of Edmilson after picking up a second yellow card.
The result avenged Al Wihdat's 2-0 victory in Amman two weeks ago and throws the Group B qualification race wide open. (AFC)

16.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 4
Group A - Bahrain National Stadium, Muscat:

Al Muharraq, Bahrain 1-2 Dempo SC
Goals: 0-1,0-2 Ranty Martins Soleye (11',62'), 1-2 Leandson Dias da Silva (77' pen)

AL MUHARRAQ:
21-Sayed Mohamed Jaffar Sabt Abbas; 6-Jamal Brarou, 8-Rashed Abdulrahman Saif Abdulla Aldoseri, 10-Mohamed Ahmed Yusuf Salmeen, 11-Abdulla Bab Fatadi, 16-Ali Aamer Hasan Ali Amer Musaifer [C], 17-Abdulla Ismaeel Omar, 19-Leandson Dias da Silva, 22-Jyacee John Okwunwanne, 23-Ebrahim Ali Hasan Meshkhas, 28-Faouti Mubarak Aaish
Unused Subs: 30-Abdulla Mohamed Ahmed Khalifa Hazza Alkaabi, 7-Anwar Yusuf Hasan Ali Alarabi, 12-Ahmed Jasim Hamad Mohamed Ateeq, 13-Mahmood Abdulrahman Mohamed Noor Abdulrahman, 14-Mohamed Abdulla Mahmood Abdulrahman, 26-Abdulla Ahmed Saleh Abdulla Aman

DEMPO:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 4-Cressan Antao, 23-Dominic Noronha, 3-John Charles Dias, 16-Samir Naik; 17-Joaquim Abranches, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges; 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C], 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 6-Peter Carvalho, 19-Johnny D'Cruz, 20-Riston Rodrigues, 24-Melwyn Rodrigues, 27-Avdesh Pal, 29-Clifton Gonsalves

YELLOW CARDs: ...

REFEREE: Salem Mahmoud Mujghef (Jordan)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Awni Hassaouneh (Jordan), Mohammed Saleh (Jordan)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mohamad Abu Loum (Jordan)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Amirhossein Karimpourardestani (Iran)

ATTENDANCE: 2.000

MATCH REPORT:
Two goals from Nigerian striker Ranty Martins Soleye steered Indian League champions Dempo SC to a 2-1 AFC Cup Group A win against Bahrain League winners Muharraq at the Manama National Stadium on Wednesday. Soleye opened the scoring after 11 minutes before crucially doubling the lead two minutes after the hour mark before Brazilian striker Leandson Da Silva converted a 77th minute penalty for Muharraq. Dempo's second win of the competition sees the I-League side move to within a point of group leaders Muharraq and Al Ansar with just two games remaining after the Lebanon champions recorded a 2-0 victory over Sur.
The visitors opened the scoring with just 11 minutes on the watch as Robert Silva's free-kick was flicked on by by Chidi Edeh for Soleye to net from close range. Muharraq came close to snatching an instant response as Leandson Da Silva volleyed over the crossbar four minutes later before Abdulla Omar also shot over midway through the first half. The home side continued to press for an equaliser and should have drawn level but Dempo's goalkeeper made several crucial interventions - the best coming in the first minute of stoppage time as he diverted Abdulla Omar's close range shot away from danger.
Muharraq held a siege to the Dempo goal in the second half and came within a whisker of equalising a minute before the hour mark as Jaycee John's well-struck effort rattled off the crossbar before being scrambled clear by Dempo defender John Dias. The home side were made to pay for their wasted opportunities as Dempo doubled their lead three minutes later as Soleye's first time volley from Silva's free-kick found the back of the net. Muharraq continued to press for a breakthrough and a way back into the game and finally pulled a goal back with 13 minutes remaining as Da Silva made no mistake from the spot after Domnic Noronha had upended substitute striker Mohamed Jaafar. Dempo should have regained their two goal cushion in the first minute of stoppage time as Soleye wasted an opportunity to complete his hattrick as the Nigerian was denied by Muharraq goalkeeper Saye Mohamed Jaafar. (AFC)

02.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 3
Group A - Nehru Stadium, Margao:

Dempo SC 0-4 Al Muharraq, Bahrain
Goals: 0-1,0-2,0-3,0-4 Leandson Dias da Silva (7',31',50' pen,60')

DEMPO:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 18-Valeriano Rebello (22' 23-Dominic Noronha), 4-Cressan Antao, 3-John Charles Dias, 16-Samir Naik; 14-Anthony Pereira (46' 17-Joaquim Abranches), 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges; 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C], 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 6-Peter Carvalho, 20-Riston Rodrigues, 24-Melwyn Rodrigues, 29-Clifton Gonsalves

AL MUHARRAQ:
21-Sayed Mohamed Jaffar Sabt Abbas; 4-Juliano Francisco de Paula, 6-Jamal Brarou, 8-Rashed Abdulrahman Saif Abdulla Aldoseri (20-Fahad Yusuf Abdulla Ahmed Hasan), 10-Mohamed Ahmed Yusuf Salmeen (75' 17-Abdullah Ismaeel Omar), 11-Abdulla Bab Fatadi, 16-Ali Aamer Hasan Ali Amer Musaifer [C], 19-Leandson Dias da Silva, 23-Ebrahim Ali Hasan Meshkhas, 27-Abdulla Adnan Saleh Salman Aldakeel (9-Mohamed Jaffar), 28-Faouti Mubarak Aaish
Unused Subs: 1-Ali Hassan Ali Husain Althani, 7-Anwar Yusuf Hasan Ali Alarabi, 13-Mahmood Abdulrahman Mohamed Noor Abdulrahman, 14-Mohamed Abdulla Mahmood Abdulrahman

YELLOW CARDs: Dominic Noronha (Dempo); Abdulla Adnan Saleh Salman Aldakeel, Juliano Francisco de Paula, Meshkhas (all Muharraq)

ATTENDANCE: 5.000

MATCH REPORT:
Brazilian striker Rico scored four goals as Al Muharraq strengthened their position at the top of AFC Cup Group A after recording a convincing 4-0 victory against Indian League champions Dempo on Wednesday.
Rico scored two in each half as the Bahraini outfit maintained their unbeaten start to their AFC Cup campaign and moved onto seven points at the midway point of the group stage after winning a game labelled by coach Salman Sharida as "one of the most important in the competition."
The Bahrain-based side opened their AFC Cup campaign with a 3-2 victory over Sur before being held to a goalless draw at Al Ansar last time out.
After flying to Goa following a 3-0 league victory over Al Had on Saturday, Rico opened the scoring after just seven minutes before doubling the advantage 14 minutes before the break. He added a third from the penalty spot five minutes after the restart before completing the scoring 10 minutes later.
Meanwhile, Dempo suffered their second defeat of the campaign following their 3-2 setback against Sur Club in Muscat and remain on three points after their opening day win against Lebanon's Al Ansar.
After arriving four days earlier in order to acclimatise, Al Muharraq took the game to the hosts from the off and Rico opened the scoring with just seven minutes on the watch after converting Abdulla Abdakeel's inviting cross. As the half progressed, Rico failed to convert from close range, but made amends 14 minutes before the break as the Brazilian fired past a helpless Abhijit Mondal in the Dempo goal.
Dempo's Nigerian strikers Ranty Martins and Edeh Chidi threatened from long range but failed to find a breakthrough, while Brazilian midfielder Roberto Mendes da Silva looked out-of-sorts for the entire match for the inaugural I-League champions.
Rico completed his hat-trick five minutes after the break as the Brazilian converted from the spot after Dominic Noronha was brought down by Dempo goalkeeper Abdakeel inside the home side's area. The Brazilian completed the scoring on the hour mark after pouncing as the Dempo defence failed to clear Aaish Faouzi's free-kick. (AFC)

02.04.2008 | MATCHDAY 3
Group B - Prince Mohammad International Stadium, Amman:

Al Wihdat, Jordan 0-2 East Bengal Club
Goals: 0-1 Alvito D'Cunha (58'), 0-2 Ike Ibe Gift (69')

AL WIHDAT:
22-Mahmoud Ali Msallam Qandil; 2-Ahmed Moustafa Youssef Ali, 2-Fadi Faris Nimer Shahin, 5-Hasan Abdel-Fattah Hasan Mahmoud, 6-Basem Fathi Omar Othman, 9-Mahmoud Omar Mahmoud Shelbaieh, 10-Issa Husamaldean Issa Al Sapah, 13-Rafat Ali Ahmad Jaber [C], 20-Mohammad Jamal Amin Jarrar, 28-Mohammad Abdulraouf Abdelmo'ti Abdallah, 29-Hayder J Kadhem
Unused Subs: 23-Wesam Ahmed Mohammad Ihzain, 11-Khalil Helal Mohammad Fetian, 12-Mosa Ibrahim Mosa Hammad, 14-Khaled Mohammad Ahmad Nemer, 16-Faisal Ibrahim Khalil Suleiman, 26-Mohammad Ahmad Aref Al Maharmeh, 27-Bamba Aboudramane

EAST BENGAL:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh [C], 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain, 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift, 9-Alvito D'Cunha; 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal
Unused Subs: 21-Gopal Das, 6-Snehashish Chakraborty, 8-Poibang Pohshna, 11-Hardip Singh Saini, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 22-Vimal Pariyar, 28-Vanlal Rova

YELLOW CARDs: ...

REFEREE: Rosdi Shaharul (Malaysia)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Mohammed Sabri Mat Daud (Malaysia), Mohammed Kamil Tumin (Malaysia)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mohammed Yussof Mat Karim (Malaysia)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Thanh Ha Nguyen (Vietnam)

ATTENDANCE: 4.000

MATCH REPORT:
East Bengal stunned Jordan league champions Al Wihdat with a 2-0 win in their third match of Group B of 2008 AFC Cup at Prince Mohammad Stadium on Wednesday. The Indian Cup holders opened the scoring on 58 minutes through Alvito D'Cunha before Nigerian midfielder Ikechukwu Ibe effectively sealed the points nine minutes after the hour mark.
The win was East Bengal's second of the campaign, following a 1-0 victory over Ahli Sana'a from Yemen on Matchday Two, and the three points strengthen their claim for a place in the knockout phase of the competition.
While East Bengal emerged victorious, it was the home side who had the better of the opening exchanges although East Bengal goalkeeper Subrata Pal was equal to everything thrown at him.
In the eighth minute Issa Al Sapah's shot was deflected wide for a corner while Rafat Ali sent his effort over the crossbar one minute later. The home side had another chance on 14 minutes when Mohammad Abdallah's close-range shot was tipped over the bar by Pal while at the other end East Bengal striker Edmilson Marques' shot went wide. Al Wihdat continued to apply the pressure and they went close on 22 minutes when a Mahmoud Shelbaieh pass found Ali, who tried to lob the East Bengal goalkeeper only for his effort to clear the crossbar. The best chance for Al Wihdat came five minutes before the break when Shelbaieh broke into the left side of the area before passing to the unmarked Al Sapah, whose shot was blocked by Debabrata Roy.
The home side continued to press in the second half with Shelbaieh heading over but Edmilson Marques continued to carry a threat for the Indians, only for Mahmoud Qandil to save his 53rd minute free kick. However, Qandil turned from saviour to villain five minutes later when his goal kick fell at the feet of D'Cunha, who opened the scoring with a left-foot strike from outside the area. Ali's free kick forced Pal into action against five minutes later as Al Wihdat sought the equaliser but, as they pushed forward looking to level, East Bengal doubled their advantage. With 21 minutes to go, Ibe was given time and space to drill his effort into the bottom corner of Qandil's goal as East Bengal earned an unexpected three points. (AFC)

18.03.2008 | MATCHDAY 2
Group A - Nizwa Stadium, Muscat:

Sur Club, Oman 3-2 Dempo SC
Goals: 1-0 Daouda Traore (9'), 1-1 Ranty Martins Soleye (26'), 1-2 Roberto Mendes Silva (62'), 2-2 Mamoudou Camara (69'), 3-2 Climax Lawrence (80', og)

SUR CLUB:
20-Said Khamis Abdullah Al Araimi; 3-Abdul Rahman Thuwaini Sabeit Al Gheilani, 6-Ibrahim Sabir Marzouq Al Mukhaini, 16-Ali Saleem Saleh Al Farsi, 23-Jalal Ya'qoub Yousuf Al Mukhaini; 8-Mohsin Saleh Rashid Al Harbi [C] (71' 10-Abdullah Thuwaini Suwaid Al Mukhaini), 17-Omar Naji Ali Bait Saleem (67' 7-Talal Mohamed Mubarak Al Saifi), 18-Mamoudou Camara, 27-Khalid Mubarak Zayid Al Gheilani; 9-Jose Rogerto Antunes Estefane Junior, 12-Daouda Traore
Unused Subs: 1-Ahmed Khamis Thunai Al Qulhati, 2-Mohammed Khamis Juma'a Al Araimi, 4-Amur Sbeit Bakhit Al Sinani, 5-Mohammed Salim Mohammed Al Sinani, 25-Humaid Juma Saad Allah Al Gheilani

DEMPO SC:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 4-Cressan Antao, 3-John Charles Dias, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 16-Samir Naik; 17-Joaquim Abranches, 8-Climax Lawrence [C], 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges (83' 14-Anthony Pereira); 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C], 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 6-Peter Carvalho, 13-Tyson Caiado, 23-Dominic Noronha, 27-Avedesh Pal, 29-Clifton Gonsalves

YELLOW CARDs: Ali Saleem Saleh Al Farsi (46', Sur Club)

REFEREE: Ali Saleem (Maldives)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Ahmed Ameez (Maldives), Ibrahim Thaufeeq (Maldives)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Riyaz Rasheed (Maldives)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Mohammed Mubarak Al Mohannadi (Qatar)

ATTENDANCE: 1.500

MATCH REPORT:
coming soon...

18.03.2008 | MATCHDAY 2
Group B - Saltlake Stadium, Calcutta:

East Bengal Club 1-0 Ahli Sana'a, Yemen
Goals: 1-0 Edmilson Marques Pardal (34')

EAST BENGAL CLUB:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh [C], 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain, 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift (90'+2' 11-Hardip Singh Saini), 9-Alvito D'Cunha (63' 6-Snehashish Chakraborty); 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal
Unused Subs: 8-Poibang Pohshna, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 21-Gopal Das, 22-Vimal Pariyar, 28-Vanlal Rova

AHLI SANA'A:
1-Muaadh Mohammed Abdulkhaleq Abdulwali [C], 3-Ahmed Ibrahim Kellil, 5-Asaad Hamid Hussein, 14-Hamada Ahmed Mohammed Al Zubairi, 19-Esam Mohammed Ahmed Awn (71' 25-Zaid Ahmed Hasan Saleh), 6-Zaid Ali Esmail Al Naggar (63' 11-Ebrahim Ahmed Hasan Saleh), 7-Fuad Abdo Mohammed Al Ammari, 9-Gamal Ahmed Abdullah Al Qudaimi, 17-Ala Mohammed Abdullah Al Sasi, 13-Sami Ahmed Ali Al Haimi, 16-Adel Abdullah Ali Al Salemi (84' 8-Wahid Mohammed Mohammed Al Khyat)
Unused Subs: 10-Ali Mohammed Mohammed Al Nono, 21-Wesam Abdurabu Ali Ateik, 22-Gamil Ahmed Abdo Al Hubaishi, 24-Nasser Abdullah Ali Al Haddashi

YELLOW CARDs: Wahid Mohammed Mohammed Al Khyat (90'+1', Ahli Sana'a)

REFEREE: Minoru Tojo (Japan)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Hiroshi Tezuka (Japan), Nazeer Hussain Mohammed Haniffa (Singapore)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Satop Tongkhan (Thailand)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: A. Razzak Mohamed Abbas (Bahrain)

ATTENDANCE: 6.000

MATCH REPORT:
coming soon...

11.03.2008 | MATCHDAY 1
Group B - Sports City Stadium, Beirut:

Safa SC, Lebanon 1-0 East Bengal Club
Goals: 1-0 Rafael Mbassi (17')

SAFA SC:
1-Nazih Tay, 2-Ali Al Saadi, 3-Pierre Ploycarpe Milat, 8-Mohammed Korhani, 16-Ramez Dayoub, 18-Hamza Aboud, 14-Amer Khan, 20-Khodor Salameh, 15-Bobby Prince, 11-Bernard Rafael Mbassi (63' 7-Mahmoud Al Zoghbi), 12-Rami Qadoura (80' 10-Rony Azar)
Unused Subs: 6-Nour Mansour, 9-Hussein Tahan, 22-Ali Al Haress, 23-Youssef Baalbaki

EAST BENGAL CLUB:
1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh [C], 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain (75' 6-Snehashish Chakraborty), 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift (81' 11-Hardip Singh Saini), 9-Alvito D'Cunha; 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal
Unused Subs: 8-Poibang Pohshna, 10-Dipendu Biswas, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 21-Gopal Das, 22-Vimal Pariyar

YELLOW CARDs: Debabrata Roy (50'), Mehraj din Wadoo (86'), Subrata Pal (90'+3', both East Bengal).

REFEREE: Mahmood Mohd Juma Al Ghatrifi (Oman)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Akber Husain Ali Husain (Bahrain), Sameer Abdulla Ahmed Ebrahim Mohamed (Bahrain)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Nawaf Abdulla Ghayyath Shukralla (Bahrain)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Azat Muradov (Turkmenistan)

ATTENDANCE: 700

MATCH REPORT:
Lebanon's Safa SC claimed their first victory in this year's AFC Cup following their 1-0 win against East Bengal Club in group B at Beirut Sports City on Tuesday.
The only goal in the game came after 18 minutes through Safa's Cameroonian midfielder Mbassi Rafael as Safa went to the top of the group following the 1-1 draw between Ahli Sana'a and Al Wihdat in the other group match earlier on the day.
After a sluggish start, Safa showed their intentions on 16 minutes when they were rewarded a free kick from 30-yards out but the powerful free kick of Amer Khan slammed the crossbar.
However, Safa took the lead two minutes later when Mohammd Qarhani sent a tempting cross from the left flank to the unmarked Mbassi Rafael inside the area and the Cameroonian striker made no mistake with a powerful shot past the Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal.
Rafael should have doubled Safa advantage on 26 minutes when he had only the goalkeeper to beat but Pal saved the ball with his leg before he saved another chance after a powerful drive from Rafael eight minutes later.
Safa had another chance five minutes before the break but the powerful shot of Khodr Salameh from outside the area slammed the left upright as the first half finished with a 1-0 lead for the hosts.
East Bengal tried to comeback into the game early in the second half and they should have leveled the scores when the Edmilson Marques Pardal sent the ball over the cross bar from a close range on 65 minutes.
The home side were rewarded a valuable chance to seal the win in the fourth minute of the stoppage time when substitute striker Rony Azar was brought down inside the area by Subrata. But Ramez Dayoub sent the spot kick near the right upright just seconds before the referee blew his whistle. (Mohammed Hallal)

11.03.2008 | MATCHDAY 1
Group A - Nehru Stadium, Margao:

Dempo SC 3-1 Al Ansar, Lebanon
Goals: 1-0,2-0 Ranty Martins Soleye (21',32'), 3-0 Chidi Edeh (62'), 3-1 Hassan Danash (89')

DEMPO SC:
1-Abhijit Mondal; 4-Cressan Antao, 3-John Charles Dias, 24-Melwyn Rodrigues, 16-Samir Naik; 17-Joaquim Abranches, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 22-Nicolau Borges; 9-Ranty Martins Soleye [C], 30-Chidi Edeh
Unused Subs: 7-Nacimento Silveira, 13-Tyson Caiado, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 20-Riston Rodrigues, 25-Pio Rodrigues, 27-Avedesh Pal, 29-Clifton Gonsalves

AL ANSAR:
22-Lary Mehanna; 6-Mohamad Matar, 7-Nabil Baalbaki, 8-Sami El Choum, 10-Malek Hassoun, 12-Ahmad El Choum, 16-Abdul Kader Deka, 20-Nasrat Al Jamal, 23-Hussein Hamdan (46' 13-Hussein Amin), 25-Edilson Da Silva (66' 15-Mohamad Rammal), 30-Fadi Ghosson (46' 9-Hassan Danash)
Unused Subs: 2-Imad Miri, 18-Paul Rustom, 21-Mohamad Hammoud, 27-Hassan Moghnieh

YELLOW CARDs: Malek Hassoun (53'), Ahmad El Choum (70', both Al Ansar)

REFEREE: Chiu Kok Ng (Hong Kong)
ASSISTENT REFEREES: Ming Fai Poon (Hong Kong), Mohammed Shahidul Islam (Bangladesh)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Charlton Chi Tang Wong (Hong Kong)
MATCH COMMISSIONER: Dato' Nyim Keong Yap (Malaysia)

ATTENDANCE: 6.000

MATCH REPORT:
Last year's National League champions Dempo SC made a winning start into their AFC Cup group A camaign with a 3-1 victory against Lebanese side Al Ansar at the Nehru Stadium, Margao.