"Difference was Al-Seeb scored and we didn't - East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas loss in ACL Two
East Bengal had a disappointing outing in VYBK, Kolkata.
Following East Bengal FC’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Al-Seeb in their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two Group D encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, head coach Antonio López Habas addressed the media during the post-match press conference.
The Spanish tactician expressed his disappointment with the result, insisting that the scoreline did not reflect his team’s performance. He also discussed East Bengal’s missed opportunities, Anwar Ali’s early injury, the team’s mental recovery, and their remaining fixtures in the competition.
Here is the post-match press conference report of East Bengal vs Al-Seeb in the ACL Two 2026-27 match in Kolkata!
Habas believes East Bengal deserved a better result despite the defeat.
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Habas congratulated his players for their performance and maintained that East Bengal created enough opportunities to win the match.
Habas stated: “I have to congratulate my players for their efforts because I don’t think the scoreline reflects the actual difference between the two teams. I think East Bengal deserved to score three or four goals from the chances we created and win the match.”
“Until the 75th or 80th minute, the opposition hardly had any clear goal-scoring opportunities. We had six or seven chances but failed to score. I think East Bengal played better than the opposition today. The difference was simply that one team scored and the other didn’t, he added.”
Habas on East Bengal’s missed chances and Anwar Ali’s early injury
The East Bengal head coach acknowledged that his team failed to capitalise on its opportunities but refused to use bad luck as an excuse. He also highlighted the impact of Anwar Ali’s early injury on his team’s defensive setup.
The Spaniard said, “This is my conclusion from the match. I don’t want to talk about bad luck today. We suffered an injury to Anwar in the first 15 minutes, and we had to make a substitution and modify our defensive line.”
“After that, I don’t have any excuses for losing the match. When you continuously look to score, you inevitably give the opposition opportunities to counter-attack. That is what happened in this game.”
“Perhaps there was also a penalty situation, but it is difficult to explain everything about the match today. We had to take our chances in the first half, but we failed to score. Sometimes you score five goals, and on other occasions, you create several chances but cannot find the net.”
“Now we have to recover as a team. We have only one training session before travelling to Chennai for another match. The players are tired, but most importantly, we have to regain our mental strength, he also added.”
Habas rejects suggestions that Indian players are not prepared for continental football.
When asked whether Indian players were sufficiently prepared to handle the pressure of competing against foreign opposition in continental competitions, Habas firmly rejected the suggestion.
Antonio Habas said, “Absolutely not. However, there are teams that participate in this competition every year, and some have been playing in it for many years. You have to understand that.”
“The explanation for today’s result is simple. We failed to score despite creating chances. The problem in some matches has been that we haven’t created enough opportunities, but today we had five or six very clear chances and couldn’t convert them.”
“East Bengal controlled the match for most of the game. I don’t remember the opposition creating many opportunities during that period. We had three situations in front of the goal but couldn’t score. “I have to congratulate my players for their efforts,” he added.
Habas on whether the availability of foreign players affected East Bengal’s performance
Asked whether the absence or availability of foreign players had affected East Bengal’s ability to perform at full strength in the continental competition, Habas insisted that the main problem was the team’s inability to convert its chances.
The East Bengal head coach replied, “We can never know whether that was the problem or not. I am very clear about what the actual problem was. We dominated the match and played very well, but we didn’t score.”
“We should not become too euphoric when we win matches or too pessimistic when we lose. We have to find a balance and continue with our competition. Our idea is to win the next match, and we will try to achieve that against our next opponent, he added.”
Habas explains the impact of Anwar Ali’s injury and provides an update.
Habas admitted that losing Anwar Ali so early in the match affected East Bengal’s plans, particularly because it forced him to use an early substitution.
Habas stated: “Anwar is very important for us. When you lose a player after just 15 minutes, you also lose one substitution opportunity, and that is very important.”
“The doctor is checking him, so we don’t know the extent of the injury yet, he added.”
Habas is on managing the squad and the team’s priorities in the remaining fixtures.
When asked about managing the team’s priorities with two ACL Two group-stage matches remaining, Habas indicated that he would assess the squad after their upcoming fixture against Chennaiyin FC.
The Spanish gaffer answered: “I have to assess the situation and manage the team according to the matches. After Chennai, we will have a day off followed by five or six days to prepare.”
“I have to evaluate the players and continue preparing for the upcoming matches. We will have to make rotations accordingly, he concluded.”
Who scored the goals in the East Bengal vs Al-Seeb ACL Two clash?
Alex Meye and Al Aghbari scored the goals for Al-Seeb against East Bengal.
What was the scoreline in the East Bengal vs Al-Seeb ACL Two clash?
East Bengal lost 0-2 against Al-Seeb at home in ACL Two.
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