AIFF congratulates East Bengal for making AFC Cup semis

New Delhi: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) congratulated East Bengal on sealing a berth in the semifinals of the AFC Cup after beating Indonesia`s Semen Padang 2-1 on aggregate over two legs on Tuesday.

East Bengal`s James Moga came off the bench to cancel out Padang`s Edward Junior Wilson first half strike to edge past the Indonesian outfit 2-1 on aggregate courtesy the red and gold brigade`s 1-0 win at home last Tuesday. AIFF President Praful Patel lauded the Kolkata outfit for their achievement. "I congratulate East Bengal Club for their historic triumph. I wish them luck for the semifinals," Patel said. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das sounded extremely thrilled. "This is a tremendous achievement. East Bengal until this match had won all their matches which speaks volumes about their performance at the International Level. This is a proud moment for Indian Football. I wish them all the very best for the semifinals." East Bengal become the first Indian club since Dempo (in 2008) to reach the last-four stage of the AFC Cup, which is equivalent to Europe`s Europa League. PTI