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Kalu Uche scored a sublime header in the 87th minute to give Delhi Dynamos a crucial win over NorthEast United FC in Wednesday's bottom of the table ISL clash.
In doing so, the capital side handed the Highlanders their 11th loss of the campaign. Delhi, on the other hand, registered only their third win of the season. Here are the major talking points from tonight's encounter.
#1 Empty stadium continues to haunt NEUFC
Not for the first time this season, players from NorthEast United played in front of a nearly stadium on Wednesday. One has to wonder, is this down to the team's poor form or the lack of genuine fans?
Case in point being other teams from the same geographical area like Neroca and Aizawl have consistently managed to attract a healthy number of spectators to their respective grounds.
The eerie and awkward silence at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati made way for the rare semi-loud chants from the limited crowd from time to time. NorthEast has a football culture and there is no doubt about that. Why is the club struggling to fill up the stadiums? Only the management can answer this simple question.
#2 Players are not playing for pride
Two teams slotted way down the bottom of the points table, players from NEUFC and Delhi Dynamos did not play for pride. That cliched adage was thrown out of the window because there was no pride left to play for.
Several poor performances and heavy losses have left both sides damaged and irreparable this season. Their combined wins till date (5) is still less than half the number of wins table toppers Bengaluru have registered by themselves.
What they were playing for was a contract extension. The ISL is a lucrative league and a player that does manage to feature in it has the opportunity to not only make a name but also fill his coffers. Leaving passion aside, players from both sides realise that among them, only a select few will be retained next season. They worked their socks off to impress tonight.
#3 Uneventful first half as both sides lacked pedigree
A clash between two sides languishing at the bottom of the table was never going to be a high-quality affair. Mind you, both teams do have some talented players very well capable of turning things around on their own.
However, not a single one of them managed to impose themselves on the game. The likes of Marcinho, Seiminlen Doungel and Maic Sema were guilty of conceding possession far too easily.
At the other end, Delhi's players were equally inadept in front of goal and across the pitch. Their midfielders, in particular, found it hard to hold on to the ball and were at fault for a number of misplaced passes. You'd be hard-pressed in creating a highlight video for the first half.
#4 Marcinho the loner warrior for home side
With absolutely no pressure to secure the points, you'd have expected the home side to go all guns blazing against Delhi Dynamos. What transpired was 90 minutes of lacklustre football during which only one man stood out for the Highlanders.
Midfielder Marcinho was the lone warrior for NEUFC. The play-maker was at it all night long and did his very best to make things happen for his side in the final third. Unfortunately for him, his teammates lacked the same hunger and determination.
As a team, the home side looked devoid of ideas and were sleepwalking through the game. Luckily for them, their opponents were equally wasteful and it did not make for a pretty affair. Marcinho was once again the player who stood out in a sea of mediocrity.
#5 Kalu Uche puts NEUFC to the sword
Hanging in the air like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kalu Uche scored a marvellous header to give Delhi the lead. In a match where chances were few and far between, Delhi score the all-important winner and the only goal of the game on the 87th minute.
David Ngaihte lofted in an inch-perfect cross from the right wing. Substitute, Uche managed to get in between both the centre-backs and nestled his header past a hapless keeper TP Rehenesh.
Given the failure of the home side to take the attack to Delhi, the visitors did extremely well to pick all three points, scoring a goal when nobody expected them to do so. Not for the first time, Uche scored a sublime header.
