East Bengal takes LG Cup out of Southeast Asia

East Bengal takes LG Cup out of Southeast Asia

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

East Bengal of India has set an impressive record in its
participation as an invitee by winning the inaugural LG Cup Asean
Club Championship here, after beating BEC Tero Sasana of Thailand
3-1 in the final match at the Bung Karno stadium here on
Saturday.

When Indonesian referee Jimmy Napitupulu blew the final
whistle, its supporters -- mostly of Indian descent -- were
delirious.

East Bengal was invited by the Asean Football Federation (AFF)
to participate in the tournament as the Indian champion is
regarded as having a soccer level close to that of Southeast
Asia.

BEC Tero, whose own outstanding achievement on the Asian
continent was to qualify as the semifinalists in the 2003 Asian
Champions Cup, adopted an attacking style early to dominate the
game through its playmaker Terdsak Chaiman.

In the 29th minute, the around 5,000 spectators had to hold
their breath when Chaiman's pass curved toward the goal post but
missed by only a few inches.

After managing to survive the early assault, the Indian team,
whose march into the final -- at the expense of Indonesian sides
Persita Tangerang and Petrokimia Putra -- had not been predicted,
showed a great deal of flair and resilience in taking control of
the game.

Brazilian midfielder Douglas Silva dos Santos continued with
his impressive role in previous matches to commandeer the East
Bengal attack by constantly supplying the ball to the front line
with the tournament's top scorer Bhaicung Bhutia looking to add
to his tally of seven goals in the tournament.

During an attack that dos Santos started, Nigerian Mike Okoro
broke free from an offside trap and ran past BEC Tero's defender,
before kicking the ball past the keeper for a one goal lead.

East Bengal, who lost to BEC Tero 1-0 during the group phase,
looked well-prepared to contain Chaiman who had been playing an
integral role in BEC Tero's lethal attacking play through the
tournament.

Entering the second half, BEC Tero upped the pressure.
However, it failed to properly keep up its defense.

Following a defensive mistake by Thanongsak Pajakkata in the
46th minute, Bhutia stole the ball and dribbled past the keeper
before finding the net for his eighth goal of the tournament.

Down 2-0, BEC was keen to reduce the deficit by making several
substitutions.

Finally in the 59th minute, Panai Kongpapan managed to get his
team back in the game after notching the ball past the keeper
after a one-two pass outside the penalty box.

Finding a chance to even the score, BEC Tero intensified its
attack, but it proved fatal when Alvito d'Cunha launched a long
range strike into BEC Tero's net, closing the game at 3-1.

After the game, East Bengal coach Subhash Bhomwick said he was
proud of his players as they had given their all to take the
first international title won by an Indian club.

"It is a great feeling to win a tournament on foreign soil. We
are grateful to have been invited by the AFF," he said.

Meanwhile, man of the match Bhaicung Bhutia praised the
tournament, saying it was well-organized and very competitive.

"I am grateful to have been here," he said.