Published on Aug 8:
GUWAHATI: NorthEast United FC continued their charge towards the knockout stages of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup with a convincing 4-1 victory over Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Saturday.
Alaaeddine Ajaraie struck twice to take his tournament tally to five goals, before substitutes Macarton Louis Nickson and debutant Ethyan Gonzalez Morales added late goals to put the result beyond doubt.
More importantly for the defending champions, the victory extended their unbeaten run in the Durand Cup to 14 matches, with NorthEast United now unbeaten in the competition since their last defeat in 2023.
The Highlanders began with clear intent. Juan Pedro Benali's side immediately pushed Karbi Anglong deep, moving the ball quickly and creating pressure around the visitors' penalty area.
That pressure produced the opening goal inside seven minutes.
Following a corner, Junior Onguene Nkengue brought down Ajaraie inside the box, leaving the referee with little choice but to point to the spot. Ajaraie took responsibility and made no mistake, sending goalkeeper Jaspreet Singh the wrong way to give NorthEast United an early 1-0 lead.
Against the run of play in the 28th minute, Karbi Anglong levelled. A misplaced pass from Soraisham Dinesh Singh presented Junior Onguene Nkengue with an opportunity to make amends for the earlier penalty, and he kept his composure to finish from close range and make it 1-1.
NorthEast United responded by turning up the pressure once again. Ajaraie almost restored the lead with a fierce free-kick, only for Jaspreet Singh to produce an excellent save.
Benali responded at half-time with two attacking changes, introducing Parthib Gogoi and Macarton Louis Nickson. The changes needed barely three minutes to make an impact.
In the 48th minute, Gogoi found Ajaraie inside the box, and the Moroccan forward made no mistake, guiding a precise left-footed finish beyond the goalkeeper to restore NorthEast United's lead.
The goal took Ajaraie to five for the tournament, putting him level at the top of the scoring charts and once again putting the defending champions in control.
With seven minutes of normal time remaining, Macarton Louis Nickson put the result beyond doubt. The substitute found the back of the net in the 83rd minute to give NorthEast United a two-goal cushion and cap another influential appearance from the bench.
Karbi Anglong's resistance had finally begun to fade, but the Highlanders were not finished.
Deep into stoppage time, debutant Etyan Gonzalez Morales completed the scoring, finding the net in the sixth minute of added time to put the finishing touch on a 4-1 victory.
PHOTO CAPTION: Action from the match. Courtesy: NEUFC