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What's the story?
In what was a huge news for the Indian Super League, NorthEast United earned a 0-0 draw against Turkish Super Ligue side, Antalyaspor. NorthEast United played their final friendly against the Turkish giants and the positive result will definitely give the Highlanders a huge boost ahead of the ISL 2017 season.
In case you didn't know...
NorthEast United played their first practice match against Neroca FC on October 22, before flying out to Turkey for their remaining friendlies. In Turkey, the Guwahati-based side played five matches against sides from the Iraqi Premier League before playing their final match against Antalyaspor. Against the Iraqi sides, NorthEast United won one, drew two and lost two before holding out Antalyaspor to a goalless draw.
The heart of the matter
Antalyaspor came into this game after being narrowly beaten by league leaders, Besiktas 2-1 at the weekend. The hosts dominated possession but a strong NorthEast defence kept their attackers at bay.
The Highlanders counter attacked at times but it was their entire backline which caught the eye in this memorable draw against a top tier side. NorthEast United manager Joao de Deus was mightily impressed by the performance and praised his solid defence unit.
What's next?
NorthEast United will be hoping for an underdog story in this season of the ISL and have an exciting squad at their disposal. The Indian duo of Halicharan Narzary and Rowlin Borges will be crucial to their cause as the season goes on. NorthEast begin their campaign on the 18th of November against the league's new boys - Jamshedpur FC.
Author's take
Though it is said that one should not read much into the results of a pre-season game, this can be an exception to that thinking. ISL sides have often been deemed as not challenging enough for the other top Asian sides but this result of the Highlanders against a strong European unit may help ISL's cause in the long run.
