AFC Champions League 2: East Bengal go down 2-3 to Al-Shorta after valiant fight
Kolkata: East Bengal FC lost 2-3 to Al Shorta SC of Iraq in their second match of the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 Group D at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. David Lalhlansanga netted both of the Red and Golds' goals in the first half while Ahmed Yahya, Hussein Al Saedi and Kingsley Kuku replied to give the eight-time Iraqi league champions side their second win in the group.
East Bengal, who had drawn 2-2 against Al Hussein SC on the first matchday, are currently in third place with one point. They will next play Al Seeb Club in Oman on October 27.
Lalhlansanga had the fans on their feet in the eighth minute when he collected Hardik Bhatt's pass from the right and fired past goalkeeper Jalal Hassan on the turn. The visitors responded just six minutes later as Ruben Ramírez's looping cut-back from the right corner found Yahya, whose downward header bounced once and past a rooted Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.
Hassan made consecutive saves in the 21st minute - an instinctive one-handed parry from Lalchungnunga's 35-yard rocket, and then Lalhlansanga's half-volley on the rebound as the home side pushed forward to regain their lead. Their efforts paid off five minutes before the break when captain Basim Rashid, picking up Hasan's block from a Daniel Ramírez free-kick, back-heeled from the byline to an unmarked Lalhlansanga, who drove the ball from close range into an empty net.
Al Shorta needed just six minutes to level in the second half after some fine work by Yayha on the left, who squared to a waiting Al Saedi to tap in from inside the six-yard box. The Iraqi side took the lead for the first time in the 53rd minute when Kuku's thumping header off a corner ricocheted off Gill's arm and into the net.
Hassan made consecutive point-blank saves from Edmund Lalrindika and Lalhlansanga in the 67th minute as East Bengal intensified their hunt for an equaliser. Al Shorta were dealt a blow in the 76th minute when Abdoul Moumouni was flashed a second yellow card for a tackle on Jay Gupta, and then saw Kuku's strike on the dot of regulation time ruled offside.
Despite coming close on a number of occasions, East Bengal failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage and were left looking for their first win. Brief Scorecard - East Bengal FC: 2 (David Lalhlansanga 8', 40') Al Shorta SC: 3 (Ahmed Yahya 14', Hussein Al Saedi 51', Kingsley Kuku 53').