AFC Cup: Ryuji Sueoka showed his class – East Bengal’s Alvito D’Cunha

Alvito D’Cunha was part of the East Bengal squad that last played in the AFC Cup quarter-finals nine years ago and thus has plenty of experience to know that the two-legged tie against Indonesia’s Semen Padang remains evenly balanced despite the Kolkata club’s 1-0 win in the first leg.

The veteran came on late in the game as East Bengal recorded their fifth straight home win in this year’s AFC Cup and admitted that it would have been better had they won by a bigger margin.

“It’s good to win but it would have been better had we scored a few more. We know exactly what is required in the second leg and the fact that we haven’t conceded gives us a good chance as an away goal in Indonesia could be vital. But there is still a long way to go. We cannot think about the semi-finals now and must prepare and give a strong performance away from home,” Alvito said after the game.

Semen Padang will be boosted by the return of central defender Wahyu Wijiastanto and Argentinean attacking midfielder Esteban Vizcarra from suspension. The return of those players and home support will make the Indonesian outfit stronger but Alvito has faith in his team to get the job done.

“Yes I know they will have some players returning but we can’t be focusing on individuals. It is important that we try and give a good account ourselves and not think about their crowd. That will be a factor of course but we have to deal with it,” he opined.

Alvito also paid tribute to match winner Ryuji Sueoka, whose second half strike gave East Bengal a first leg lead unlike 2004 when they were held to a goalless draw at home by Syria’s Al Jaish.

“Sueoka showed his class today. Many players would have taken another touch in that situation but scored with a first-time shot,” Alvito said.