East Bengal saw its AFC Cup campaign go up in smoke as it lost a rain-marred Group F league match by a solitary goal to visitor Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) of Malaysia at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.
Mohammad Amri Bin Yahyah scored in the seventh minute to ensure the victory for the visitor before heavy thundershowers stopped the match for almost 50 minutes and virtually took the competitive edge out of the contest.
Looking at a little chance of making it to the pre-quarterfinals, East Bengal’s Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie drafted in a good number of reserves to face the Malaysian league champion Ta’zim. The host started with the combination of Baldeep Singh and Baljit Singh Sahni in offence while R. Dhanarajan made his debut for the side in deep defence.
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The team from Malaysia went for the kill early and found the target with striker Yahyah finishing a concerted move involving Argentine Luciano Figueroa and Singapore international Hariss Harun. Amri scored with a regulation tap-in after Harun did the hard work by building up the attack from the left flank.
Barely a minute before the goal, Amri had narrowly missed the target, mistiming a powerful volley. The game was stopped near the half-hour mark as the rain intensified. After the match restarted, following a prolonged break, under persistent drizzle, there was little from either side that could alter the scoreline.
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The win helped JDT bolster its position at the top with 12 points from five outings and ensure a qualification to the pre-quarterfinals.
With a round still to go, East Bengal saw its hopes evaporate as it remained third with four points earned from a win, a draw and three losses.
The result: East Bengal 0 lost to Johor Darul Ta’zim 1 (Mohammad Amri Bin Yahyah 7).