AFC Cup: East Bengal sign off with a draw vs Kitchee SC

Kolkata: East Bengal struck two late goals in the second-half to hold hosts Kitchee SC 2-2 and conclude their campaign on a high in the AFC Cup football tournament at the Mongkok Stadium here on Tuesday.

Down 0-2 in the second-half, it was their inspirational Nigerian forward Ranti Martins (80') who brought the I-League runners-up back into the game before Cavin Lobo (89') sealed a fine away draw.

Having already assured the knockout berth, the Hong Kong giants drew first blood when Lam Ka Wai gave them a 14th minute lead while Xu Deshuai (59') doubled the lead in the second-half.

In fact, East Bengal had earned a 1-1 draw against the same outfit in the home leg too.

East Bengal thus ended their campaign with five points with one win, two draws and three losses in group F table.

The red-and-gold brigade's only win was in the home leg fixture when they blanked Balestier Khalsa FC 3-0 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on April 14.

Kitchee on the other hand made the last-16 finishing second behind table-toppers Johor Darul Ta'Zim of Malaysia.