NorthEast United retain Durand, thrash debutants Diamond Harbour 6-1 in final

calcutta: When amerindic Super conference (ISL) clubs wheel spoke of suspending salaries, they decided to call in all their players for a regular pre-season. A little over one month and a week later, NorthEast United (NEUFC) stood on the podium as winners of the 134th Durand Cup, becoming the fourth team in the 137-year history of the tournament to do that after Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Border Security Force.

It is not as if NEUFC are rolling in money, far from it. But they had a title to defend and decided not to go the way of many ISL clubs who skipped the competition. So, under Juan Pedro Benali, who has lifted them from the depths of despair, NEUFC started training for Asia’s oldest tournament.

It would not have been an easy decision for John Abraham but with a 6-1 rout of newbies Diamond Harbour FC (DHFC) at Salt Lake stadium here on Saturday, and wearing black tees that had “Champions” written in gold, the team vindicated their owner’s stand to get on with football.

India’s only team representing seven states had a hand on Asia’s oldest tournament with goals from Asheer Akhtar (30th) and Parthib Gogoi (45+1). Thoi Singh’s strike in the 50th doused hopes of a comeback and though Luka Majcen pulled one back in the 68th, it was drowned in the deluge that followed from Jairo Samperio (82), Andre Rodriguez (86) and Alaaeddine Ajaraie’s penalty in 90+3. The winners got ₹1.21 crore, DHFC ₹60 lakh.

With eight goals in this edition taking his tally to 40 goals in 40 matches in India and three assists, Ajaraie won the golden ball and the golden boot, Gurmeet Singh got the golden glove showing how much NEUFC have taken a shine to this competition since the comeback against Mohun Bagan Super Giant last year. The individual award winners got Rs.3 lakh each and a Mahindra XUV 3XO.

In three days, DHFC goalie Mirshad Koottappunna went from saviour to the one who let his team down. On a greasy surface, the man who repelled everything East Bengal threw at him spilled an early shot from Ajaraie but Parthib Gogoi couldn’t direct his header. It was in the fourth minute but an indication of things to come.

When Mirshad spilled another shot from a melee following a corner-kick, Akhtar stabbed home. It came at a time when DHFC were threatening from set-plays looking like they had weathered the early storm. Reedem Tlang was booked for a clumsy challenge and was skating in thin ice, struggling to cope with Girik Khosla and Robilal Mandi on the left. Mikel Kortazar managed a header from a free-kick and Jobby Justin tested Gurmeet with a diving header.

But NUEFC were more clinical and Gogoi may have ruined DHFC coach Kibu Vicuna’s half-time talk with a screamer opening his shoulder to fire home at the far post. Had Thoi put away a sitter just before that, it would have killed the match as a contest in the first half. Thoi made amends early in the second half though.

Kept quiet in the first half, Ajaraie exploded after half-time, providing the assist for Thoi and Sampeiro by breaking away on the left and essaying slide-rule passes. In between, Mirshad spilled again and was punished by Rodriguez. Ajaraie looked to be struggling but stayed on the pitch and won a penalty which he converted with a shot that hit the horizontal and went in. Just before, the Moroccan hit the upright with a drive from range showing that his first ISL season that fetched 23 goals and seven assists was no fluke.

On Sunday, NEUFC’s India players will head to Bengaluru, the rest will go on holiday. Promoted to I-League after being in I-League 3 two seasons ago, DHFC will have to reboot. No one knows when the season will start but victor and vanquished will have a lot of positives to take from the season opener.

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