Mohammad Rafi and Steven Dias found the net as Mumbai outfit Mahindra United qualified for the quarter-final league of the 2007 Asian Cup, defeating Maldivian club New Radiant 2-0 in an away match on Tuesday.

Derrick Pereira's boys finished second in Group E with 12 points but went through as the best second-placed team from the East, South and South-East Asia zone.

Singapore Armed Forces FC qualified as group winners with 15 points after they came from behind to beat Hong Kong's Happy Valley 2-1 at home.

Mahindra became the second Indian club to make it to the AFC Cup quarter-finals after East Bengal achieved the feat in 2004.

They were thrown a lifeline earlier in the evening when Thailand's Osotpa M-150 FC beat group F winners Tampines Rovers 3-0 in Bangkok.

Mahindra, who finished third in the 11th National Football League, took the lead through a Rafi header in the 16th minute. They controlled the game throughout and doubled the lead in the 63rd minute when Dias capitalised on a cross.

New Radiant, who failed to open their account in the group, could not pose serious threat to the Mumbai team.

Mahindra had opened their group campaign in impressive fashion, winning their first three matches but suffered a slump thereafter and came into today's match on the back of two defeats in the competition.

In the corresponding match played in Goa on March 20, Mahindra had emerged victorious by a single goal.

The two-leg knock-out quarter-finals will be played on September 18 and 25. The draw for the last eight has not been made yet.

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