East Bengal's Asian hopes suffer a body blow after losing to Al Seeb 0-2 in ACL 2 match

KOLKATA: East Bengal's Asian dream is as good as over.Antonio Lopez Habas' side sank to the bottom of their group with a 0-2 loss to Al-Seeb at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday. The Omani champions clinched the issue with two late goals from their Gabonese forward Alex Meye (85) and second-half substitute Zahir Al-Aghbari (90+1) to rekindle their own hopes and stay in the mix for advancing to the AFC Champions League Two round-of-16 stage.With just two points from four matches, the bottom-placed East Bengal's survival is now hanging strictly on mathematical equations.East Bengal's downfall was of their own making and once again in front of home fans, they traded hopes for heartbreak.Habas stuck to the same line-up from the team's goalless draw at the Al-Seeb stadium a week ago. However, his plans were quickly disrupted when defender Anwar Ali was forced off with a hamstring problem in just the 18th minute, prompting the early introduction of Sandip Mandi.Still, hope rippled through the stands as Edmund Lalrindika drew a sharp save from Al-Seeb goalkeeper Ibrahil Al-Mukhaini and Bipin Singh, pouncing on the rebound, crossed it for Mohammed Rashid to miss the target from the edge of the six-yard box.But as the game wore on, East Bengal - who lost to Iraq's Al Shorta 2-3 in their previous home game - looked fatigued, sluggish and devoid of creative ideas required to get over the line. Edmund seemed to have forgotten how to score since his derby heroics in the Durand Cup final, David Lalhlansanga struggled to find his touch and with Rashid's combination with Dani Ramirez missing the usual incisiveness, East Bengal's movements in the attacking third were shorn of sparks.Habas introduced Ake Loba and Lukasz Zwolinski after the one-hour mark and Loba's first touch saw Ramirez take spectacular aim at the goal with the outside of his left boot but the Al-Seeb goalkeeper denied him with an equally eye-catching save.Thus reprieved, Al-Seeb fired an immediate warning shot, but East Bengal custodian Phurba Tempa Lachenpa kept his team's hopes alive with a stunning one-handed interception.When the visitors came calling again, the home team's luck finally ran out. Receiving the ball from the overlapping full-back Hasan Al-Ajmi inside the box, Meye left his marker Mandi for dead with a swift turn and beat Lachenpa with a powerful finish from a tight angle.East Bengal threw the kitchen sink in search of a goal and Meye took advantage of the situation again, ruthlessly exploiting the gap and finding Zahir with a beautiful diagonal ball and the latter drilled it in past a diving Lachenpa to seal the deal.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.