Two defensive blunders cost Kitchee victory as East Bengal snatched a 2-2 draw in an AFC Cup group game at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday night. Kitchee were looking comfortable leading 2-0 until a lapse in concentration in the last 10 minutes allowed the Indians to draw their group F tie. Kitchee still finished second in the group with 11 points to qualify for the knockout stage. Johor Darul Ta'zim, of Malaysia, beat Singapore's Balestier Khalsa 3-0 in another match to ensure top spot with 15 points. "We could have scored five or six goals but were relaxed in the last 10 minutes," said Kitchee coach Jose Molina. "We have to remember a match will only be decided after 90 minutes." We could have scored five or six goals but were relaxed in the last 10 minutes," said Kitchee coach Jose Molina. "We have to remember a match will only be decided after 90 minutes Jose Molina, Kitchee coach Captain Lam Ka-wai, who scored the opening goal in the early stages, said the result was a wake-up call for the Hong Kong champions, who have failed to win in three games. "We thought the job was done after scoring two goals," said the Hong Kong international. "We have lost our mental strength a bit after lifting the league trophy and of course the rotation system has also affected performance." But the coach and the captain remained upbeat when talking about their chances in the next stage, even if they have lost home-ground advantage. They will meet either Persib Bandung of Indonesia, or Myanmar's Ayeyawady United. The two will play for top spot in group H today. From our experience, we know weather and ground conditions in Indonesia are difficult to handle but if we can keep our concentration, we believe Kitchee have the quality to beat any team in the AFC Cup Lam Ka-wai, Kitchee captain "From our experience, we know weather and ground conditions in Indonesia are difficult to handle but if we can keep our concentration, we believe Kitchee have the quality to beat any team in the AFC Cup," said Lam. In front of a crowd of 1,300, Kitchee took the lead on 15 minutes when Lam chested the ball down from six metres and beat the visiting goalkeeper. Kitchee then doubled their lead through Xu Deshuai's long-range drive. Juan Belencoso could have made it 3-0 but his curler from 12 metres hit the post. It all then fell apart for Kitchee in the last 10 minutes, with two errors allowing the visitors to level the score. East Bengal coach Eekic Schattorie said: "We went for goals after going two down. Based on our second-half performance, we deserve credit."
