21 Wednesday 2024 | NEUFC Media

Kokrajhar, 21 August 2024: NorthEast United FC booked their place in the IndianOil Durand Cup semifinals with a convincing 2-0 win over Indian Army FT in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Goals from Nestor Albiach and Guillermo sealed the victory for the Highlanders. This is the second consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the IndianOil Durand Cup for the NorthEast United FC. They will play the winner of the second quarter-final between Shillong Lajong FC and East Bengal on August 25. The match, a rematch of last year's quarterfinal, was a thrilling affair. NorthEast United dominated possession early on, with Guillermo narrowly missing a header and Jithin MS' shot going just wide. The Indian Army, however, defended stoutly and countered with dangerous attacks. Guillermo could have scored a brace in the opening 15 minutes but for the brilliance of Army’s goalkeeper Bhabindra Thakuri, while Jithin’s effort just went wide of the near post. However, it did not deter Juan Pedro Benali’s men from continuing their onslaught without much luck in front of the goal. At the other end, the Indian Army looked dangerous on the counter attack but the Highlanders’ backline held firm. Gurmeet Singh was largely untroubled between the posts. However, he had to make a big save at the half-time mark to keep the parity at the break when the Indian Army mounted a quick counter. At the start of the second-half, the NorthEast United FC coach brought on Thoi Singh for Ankith Padmanabhan and the move almost paid-off. The deadlock was broken in the 52nd minute, Guillermo chested the ball down from Buanthanglun Samte’s cross and Nestor tucked away the loose ball into the corner. Redeem Tlang came on in the 72nd minute for Jithin and provided an assist with his first touch for Guillermo. Guillermo, who had been unlucky to have not scored, managed to get a touch to a ball that was behind him and with a Scorpion Kick hit the net. From that point on, NorthEast United FC controlled the game's tempo and thwarted all Indian Army FT efforts to make a comeback into the match.