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NorthEast United have never finished within the top four of the table in their previous four seasons. But this season is different for them altogether. With the help of some intelligent recruitment, NorthEast are finally tasting success in the ISL.
At Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, NorthEast got the better of Delhi Dynamos by 2-0 thanks to the goals from Fernando Gallego and Bartholomew Ogbeche. This win marked the third away win for the Guwahati-based club, the best away performance in the club’s history. NorthEast won two away games in 2015 and one each in the rest of the three.
Delhi Dynamos piled more pressure on themselves. They had their chances on the game, but couldn’t utilise any of them and lost meekly to an opposition they had a better record against. Delhi failed to find a win after six matches and something needs to put in order before it gets out of control.
NorthEast had to wait for 82 minutes for their first goal, despite creating few opportunities before. Federico Gallego got a wrong clearance from Pritam Kotal and dribbled past two opponent defenders before putting the ball at the back of the net with a low drive.
Gallego dispossessed Kotal in the added time and got within the edge of the box before unleashing a pass to Ogbeche. The Nigerian made no mistake. Ogbeche now has six goals against his name. He is now the joint top scorer with Ferran Corominas. He has one more record to his name, he is the first NorthEast player in the history of the club to score more than five goals in a single campaign. He has played only five matches so far, so there is more to come.
Let us look at the hits and flops of the match:
Hit: Redeem Tlang
The Shillong-born was certainly one of the best players that NorthEast had on the pitch. Tlang made his presence felt from the very first minute. From the right wing, he made life difficult for Narayan Das with his constant runs.
Tlang has a knack of providing inch-perfect crosses from the right flank and he does it so easily. His one-to-one with Bartholomew saw the latter hitting the crossbar as early as in the seventh minute. Around five minutes before the half-time, his cross met Rowlin Borges but the latter’s shot was deflected for a corner.
Considering the previous matches, Tlang has made himself a weapon for NEUFC. He often swaps the flanks with Reagan Singh to confuse the opponent, comes in his own half when his team is in danger and uses his brain intelligently before putting in a cross.
Flop: Marcos Tebar
Marcos Tebar is an inspiring player that every coach wishes to have in his team. Tebar, at the heart of the midfield, can control the game on his own. He has the ability to move up and down to link with his teammates.
He was with the Delhi side three seasons ago and played for FC Pune City in the previous term before coming back to the capital. Coming back from injury, Tebar got his first start for Delhi. Sadly, he was on the pitch until full time but failed to leave any impact on the game. It looked like he is still not fit to play a full match.
On a day when Nandakumar Sekhar was in bad form, Tebar had to come up to take the responsibility. He lost the ball too many times and didn’t take the right position during an attack. He did not impress at all and why Delhi coach Josep Gombau played him for the full match remains questionable.
Hit: Juan Mascia
This is the first time the Uruguayan travelled outside his country. The young forward inspired a runners-up finish for Uruguay in 2011 U-17 World Cup. NEUFC were looking for some young blood for their team and they roped in Mascia.
Mascia had his first start for NEUFC on Tuesday and to be honest, he impressed against Delhi. He could’ve scored in the third minute when Robert threaded him a ball from the touchline, but Mascia couldn’t control the ball and wasted the chance.
That was one apart. He made his presence within the box and had kept the pressure on the 18-yard box. He has the ability to break the defence and always try to create space within the box. He can also provide useful passes.
Schattorie opted for two strikers, putting Mascia alongside Ogbeche. The duo has the ability to create more danger in the opposition's box once they create an understanding between them.
Flop: Pritam Kotal
Pritam Kotal is the go-to man for every coach on the right back position. His marking, well-built physique and heading ability have made him a useful proponent in the team. Kotal features regularly for the national SIDE and is rightly made the captain of Delhi Dynamos.
But Kotal would try to forget Tuesday as soon as possible. He was horrible on the field and both the goals of NEUFC came from his mistake. He was flawless in the first half and didn't make any mistake.
But towards the end of the game, probably losing out his concentration, he made two mistakes within 10 minutes. Romeo tried to put the ball out of danger from his box but Kotal kept it in near the corner line and instead of clearing it away, he put it in Gallego’s feet. The Uruguayan made no mistake as he whipped past a couple of Delhi defenders before unleashing a shot from the tightest angle to beat Delhi goalkeeper Dorronsoro.
Pritam was at fault again in the injury as he was dispossessed by Gallego and couldn’t catch him afterwards. Within an open field, Gallego swiftly passed the ball to Ogbeche for the second goal.
Hit: Federico Gallego
NEUFC have played five matches so far and Federico Gallego has already become one of the major players in their side. Though NEUFC have not made it to the semi-finals in ISL so far, they have always produced some exciting talents like Emiliano Alfaro or Nicolas Velez. Gallego will certainly be added on to the list in near future.
Once again, he produced a neat and clean performance. He was quiet in the first ten minutes but started operating the game in from the left. He initiated moves and went up and down constantly to take the ball. He helped his team in their own half and has been so lively on the pitch.
In the second half, he tried to create few moves but wasn’t successful due to Delhi’s desperate defending. NEUFC had to count on Delhi’s mistakes and Gallego did it superbly during the first goal. He was selfless when he provided the cross to Ogbeche.
The performance of Gallego will certainly be a motivating factor for NEUFC when they will take on Mumbai City on November 9.
