New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS): The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Tuesday congratulated East Bengal on their sealing a berth in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup semifinals after beating Indonesia’s Semen Padang 2-1 on aggregate over two legs.

East Bengal’s James Moga came off the bench to cancel out Padang’s Edward Junior Wilson first half strike to edge past the Indonesian outfit 2-1 on aggregate courtesy the red and gold brigade’s 1-0 win at home last Tuesday, Sep 17.

AIFF President Praful Patel lauded the Kolkata outfit for their achievement and wished them luck for the semis.

"I congratulate East Bengal Club for their historic triumph. I wish them luck for the semifinals," Patel said.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das too congratulated East Bengal and said that it was a proud day for Indian football.

"This is a tremendous achievement. East Bengal until this match had won all their matches which speaks volumes about their performance at the international level. This is a proud moment for Indian football. I wish them all the very best for the semifinals."

East Bengal becomes the first Indian club since Dempo (in 2008) to reach the last-four stage of the AFC Cup, which is equivalent to Europe’s Europa League.