East Bengal take on Altyn Asyr in ACL 2
When East Bengal last qualified for an Asian tournament in 2015 the Indian Super League (ISL) was not worth their time, Igor Stimac was a 20th century World Cup star, Sunil Chhetri had played the first of his three Asian Cup finals, Lionel Messi only had an Olympic gold with Argentina and Pep Guardiola was managing Bayern Munich.
For one of Asia’s oldest extant clubs, that feels like a nine-year itch that just hadn’t healed. So, it fits that East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat would term Wednesday’s preliminary knockout match of Asian Champions League Two against Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr as one that is “very important for the club”. The first step to being regulars in Asia, he said.
Altyn Asyr are used to that. Based in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat, Altyn Asyr was founded in 2008 but have dominated the league and cup competitions since. Runners-up in 2023, Altyn Asyr won every edition of the nine-team Yokary Liga from 2014 to 2021 and the Turkmenistan Cup five times between 2009 and 2020. They were also runners-up in the 2018 AFC Cup beating Caudrat’s Bengaluru FC en route. And like they will at Salt Lake stadium here, it was with a roster comprising only players from Turkmenistan.
“They were very, very superior,” said Cuadrat.
“We believe in our players,” said Yazguly Hojageldyyew, speaking through an interpreter to explain why with no bar in Asia this time, his team hasn’t imported any player. Altyn Asyr’s coach since 2014, Hojageldyyew, 47, also managed the national team between 20172019, 2021 and 2022. The team is here after playing a few friendlies during their mid-season break, he said.
In his second season, Cuadrat said he is happy with the roster.