Wuhan (China), Nov 20: Indian club East Bengal FC suffered a 0-2 defeat at the hands of defending champions Wuhan Jiangda FC of China after a first-half brace by Wang Shuang in their AFC Women’s Champions League Group B match here on Thursday.
East Bengal, who had defeated Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC 3-1 in their first game, can still progress to the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat with a margin of more than two goals against Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf on November 23.
The top two finishers in each of the three groups and the two best third-placed sides will make it to the knock-outs.
Wuhan Jiangda’s early pressure nearly paid off in the seventh minute when Deng Mengye burst through off Wang Shuang’s through ball but drove her shot from the right into East Bengal goalkeeper Elangbam Panthoi Chanu.
But the Moshal Girls conceded a minute later (8th) when Wang Shuang met Song Fei’s cross from the left, tucking home the ball past a sprawling Panthoi.
The pressure got to East Bengal when they conceded a penalty, following a VAR review, after Panthoi brought down Wang Shuang inside the box, with the 2018 AFC Women’s Footballer of the Year making no mistake from the spot in the 17th minute.
East Bengal had a chance to reduce the deficit, but Soumya Guguloth flashed her attempt over the bar in the 23rd minute, while Panthoi did enough to foil Mavis Owusu from advancing after Wang Shuang had slipped a well-timed through ball.
Panthoi continued to frustrate Wuhan Jiangda in the second half with a point-blank stop in the 56th minute to deny Owusu before foiling Kim Hye-ri in the 61st minute following Deng Mengye’s layoff.
The East Bengal custodian continued to be a thorn for Wuhan Jiangda as she kept out Deng Mengye and later stopped Owusu in her tracks with a fine tackle in the 73rd minute.
A lapse in concentration in the 77th minute by Wuhan Jiangda almost gave East Bengal a break when Soumya Guguloth sent Sushmita Lepcha through on goal, only for the midfielder to hit a wayward shot at the end to sum up their frustrating evening. (PTI)
