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A brace from new-signing Tomi Juric sealed a 3-2 victory for NorthEast United FC in a thrilling encounter against East Bengal FC. The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati hosted the Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Saturday, February 10.
The Highlanders capitalized on some clumsy defending from the visitors in the opening quarter. Quickfire goals from Juric (4') and Nestor Albiach (15') accumulated a 2-0 lead.
The opening goal came through a marauding run for Jithin MS, who carried the ball into the opposition's half before spreading the ball to Nestor. The Spanish midfielder spotted Juric on the far post, and the forward stabbed it home.
Carles Cuadrat and the Red and Gold Brigade were left stunned. Before they could regroup, Jithin MS and Redeem Tlang combined smoothly in the 15th minute, and the latter found Nestor with a brilliant through ball. With the second goal on the board, East Bengal were left constantly overwhelmed by the relentless pressing from Juan Pedro Benali's men.
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Until the half-time break, the Kolkata Giants found no gaps to reduce the deficit. But rallied on by Cuadrat in the second half, East Bengal pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute through Nandhakumar Sekar. Cleiton Silva slipped a clever pass for the former Odisha FC winger and despite the effort striking Mirshad the ball ended up in the net.
NorthEast, sensing the momentum of the match slightly altering, turned their attacking intensity a notch up. Juric's curling effort from the edge of the box convincingly beat Prabhsukhan Singh Gill in between the posts in the 66th minute.
While debutant Felicio Brown pulled a goal back for the Torchbearers in the 82nd minute, the Highlanders highlighted their composure to see off the tie.
NorthEast United FC catapult into knockout spot with victory over East Bengal FC
While the dramatic victory was epic for home fans, it helped NorthEast United FC rise up the standings in the league. With the three points, the Highlanders now have 16 points from 14 outings. Both Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC, who are below NEUFC in the rankings, have played an equal number of matches.
Meanwhile, East Bengal are still ninth in the standings and the loss has further dampened their record. They currently have 12 points from 12 matches and face defending champions Mumbai City FC next.
