East Bengal in action against Paro.© East Bengal
East Bengal began their AFC Challenge League campaign with a thrilling 2-2 draw against Bhutan’s Paro, saving a crucial point thanks to Dimitrios Diamantakos’ second-half equaliser. The Super Cup holders struck early through Madih Talal, who converted Saul Crespo’s fine strike in the 5th minute to give East Bengal the lead. However, the lead was short-lived as the hosts responded just three minutes later with a William Opoku penalty after Evans Asante fouled Anwar Ali in the box.
With the game tied, Paro seized the opportunity, keeping the East Bengal defense on its toes.
Koki Narita’s long shot and Tomoyuki Unno’s deflected shot tested Prabsuhan Gill, who stood firm.
Paro’s persistence paid off in stoppage time as Asante took advantage of a quick counter-attack, bursting from midfield to overtake Gill and send the hosts into the break with a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, East Bengal moved forward in search of an opportunity to equalise.
Kazuo Homma nearly extended Paro’s lead with a close-range header before Diamantakos responded with a shot wide from outside the area.
But the Greek striker made no mistake as he seized his next opportunity in the 69th minute, coolly finishing off Nandhakumar Sekar’s pinpoint cross from a sharp drive down the right flank.
The Indian Super League side will now look forward to their next Group A match against Bangladeshi side Bashundhara Kings on Tuesday as they look to build on this hard-earned draw.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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