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.