East Bengal FC squandered a first-half lead to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Iraqi side Al-Shorta in its second Group-D outing of the AFC Champions League Two at Salt Lake Stadium here on Tuesday.
David Hmar scored twice in the first half to put East Bengal ahead twice. He opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he shielded an Al-Shorta defender to receive Hardik Bhatt’s centre and turned sharply to complete a spectacular finishing. The hosts regained the lead in the 41st minute after goalkeeper Jalal Hassan parried Daniel Ramirez’s free-kick. Basim Rashid recovered the ball near the goal line and delivered a back-heel, allowing David to finish from close range. Al-Shorta struck twice in quick succession after the break to turn the match around. East Bengal pushed for an equaliser but failed to break through the visitors’ disciplined defence, leaving the home side to rue missed opportunities and a costly second-half collapse.