East Bengal Hold South China FC

Tolgay Ozbey''s penalty in the third minute of added time ensured East Bengal snatched a dramatic point against South China in an entertaining 3-3 draw at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Li Haiqiang had earlier scored in the second minute of added time to give South China a crucial 3-2 lead going into the final minute of the AFC Cup Group H clash but Ozbey then won a penalty which he converted himself to add another dramatic twist to the tale. East Bengal led 1-0 at the half with Australian striker Ozbey breaking the deadlock only for Kwok Kin Pong to cancel out East Bengal’s lead in the 58th minute. Baljit Singh gave the hosts the lead for the second time in the 69th minute but substitute Cheng Lai Hin rose to the occasion with a goal two minutes from time before the game''s incredible conclusion. South China ended the match a player short after Chan Siu Ki was sent off for a second bookable offence in the last minute. The draw did not help East Bengal’s cause as the Federation Cup champions and I-League title hopefuls remain winless after four games. Their only previous point was at the end of a high-scoring 4-4 home draw against Chonburi in their AFC Cup opener. South China now have five points but their chances of reaching the last 16 now hang very much in the balance.

East Bengal started the match strongly and true to form scored first at the Barabati Stadium when Ozbey found the net after Soumik Dey and Mehtab Hossain had laid the groundwork in the 20th minute. In the second period, South China found their feet and controlled proceedings. They worked their way back into the game in the 58th minute when Kwok capitalised on a defensive lapse from Mehrajuddin Wadoo. The defender was involved in a mix-up with goalkeeper Sandip Nandy, allowing the South China attacker a simple header as the goalkeeper misjudged the flight of the ball. Baljit Singh put East Bengal ahead for the second time in the match when he applied the finishing touch to a through ball from Robin Singh in the 69th minute. But that joy did not last long as substitute Cheng drew South China level for a second time with just two minutes left on the clock. South China then suffered a setback when Chan was sent off for a second bookable offence in the last minute but the visitors appeared to have had the last laugh when Li scored in the second minute of added time. And there was only one minute left of the allotted three minutes of stoppage time when Tolgay struck. The Australian striker won a penalty after he was brought down inside the box by Brazilian defender Joel (Joel Bertoti Padilha) and the referee pointed to the spot. Tolgay picked himself up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to seal a riveting 3-3 draw.