#4 Bengaluru can re-write another piece of history
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The first meeting between clubs from these two nations took place when Mohun Bagan clashed against Al Rasheed in the erstwhile 1987 Cup winners Cup in Dhaka. The Iraqis took the spoils that day, drowning the Mariners 2-0. Two years later, when the same teams clashed again; this time in Guangzhou, China, the winning margin was doubled.
Since the format of the AFC Cup was drawn up, Dempo and East Bengal are the only Indian clubs to have faced Iraqi opponents but that too without much success. Whilst Dempo went down 1-0 to Duhok in 2011, East Bengal lost both legs against Arbil in 2012, who were the eventual runners-up that season.
The only hurrah for Indian clubs against the Iraqis came in 1993 when East Bengal squared off against a strong Al Zawra side. The team which had the likes of 1988 Asian Player of the Year Ahmed Radhi in their ranks, had a number of key members of the national side in their team. However, they were in for a rollicking at the Salt Lake Stadium as a Carlton Chapman hat-trick propelled the Red and Gold to a memorable 6-2 victory.
While Al Zawra did win the return leg 2-0, it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit as East Bengal moved on to the next round.
