Second-string East Bengal lose 0-1 in AFC Cup

Kolkata: A second-string East Bengal dished out a spirited show but failed to cancel out Mohd Amri Yahyah's early goal to suffer a 0-1 loss to Johor Darul Ta'Zim in a rain-interrupted AFC Cup football match here today.

The Malaysian outfit went two points clear of Hong Kong's Kitchee (10 points) atop the table with one match in hand, ensuring a knockout berth in a match that ran a little less than three hours because of a 57-minute halt due to thunderstorms.

It is all over for East Bengal as they end their campaign in the AFC Cup taking on Kitchee in the concluding league outing in Hong Kong on May 12.

The reigning Malaysian Super League champions got an early lead when their local star Mohd Amri Yahyah tapped in from the left side cross on the counter attack in the seventh minute.

The match began amid a heavy downpour and continued for 30 minutes and the Sri Lankan referee Nivon Gamini had to eventually stop play.

The match kicked off after a 57-minute halt and East Bengal started to make their presence felt with a tactical substitution, bringing in Harmanjyot Singh Khabra in place of Baljit Sahni.

Playing their third match in front of an empty stadium because of inadequate security, East Bengal had the best chance in the 37th minute.

Sukhwinder Singh's shot from the edge of the box took a deflection from a defender and in the second attempt Baldeep Singh's shot was saved by the visiting side goalkeeper Farizal Marlias.

East Bengal continued to dominate possession in the second half too and almost scored in the 57th minute but their goalkeeper Marlias once again stood tall to thwart Raju Gaikwad's shot from a second attempt.

Schattorie brought in his star striker Ranty Martins in the 65th minute but he was well marked by the visitors.

The Malaysian outfit almost doubled the lead but Deepak Mondal's timely tackle of Luciano Gabriel Figueroa ensured there was no further damage.

Johor Darul Ta'Zim began with their star player Figueroa, as the Olympic gold medal winning Argentinian partnered Chanthuru Suppiah up front.

Earlier both teams observed a minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the Nepal earthquake .