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NorthEast United FC's Parthib Gogoi is a player who has been earmarked for the future. Leading the Highlanders' attacking line this season, the 20-year-old has shown time and again why he is mature beyond his years.
Gogoi, who got off to a fantastic start this season with goals against Mumbai City, Chennaiyin FC, and Punjab FC in the Indian Super League, showed a lot of promise.
However, the spark seemed to have diminished a tad in the recent past with a visible dip in form. He was playing extremely well and setting up balls for his teammates but was not able to get on the scoresheet.
On Saturday, he got the monkey off his back by netting the Highlanders' first goal against Kerala Blasters in Bhubaneswar in just the second minute. NorthEast eventually won the game 4-1.
Soon afterwards, Gogoi sat down with Sportskeeda to chat about what the goal meant to him and his team.
"Bohot dino se goals nahi aa rahe the (I had not scored a goal for a long time), and hence this feels really special. I did not think I would be able to get on the scoresheet so early into the game. It feels very nice to have scored and got the win. We are pleased with the result, that is for sure," Gogoi said.
"A lot of hard work has gone behind the scenes, and that is why we were able to win by such a big margin today. I am thankful to coach Benali for giving me the opportunities to prove myself time and again. The win is really special as it came against Kerala Blasters, who are always tough to beat. 4-1 is a very big scoreline," he added.
"We know how each of us operates and what makes us tick" - Parthib Gogoi on other youngsters in the team
Parthib Gogoi seemed especially impressive with his link-up play on Saturday and the way he brought his teammates into the attack. He displayed a lot of maturity in the way he passed the ball and how often he switched flanks to allow the likes of Nestor Albiach and Romain Philippoteaux to express themselves with freedom.
Gogoi was asked about how he felt so comfortable playing with the other youngsters in the side, and he was candid in his reply.
"A lot of the players who played today have been playing with me for a long time. We know how each of us operates and what makes us tick. This made it easy for us to link-up with each other and pass the ball with confidence. It depends on how comfortable you are with each other; if that box is ticked, playing football becomes quite easy and satisfying," Gogoi concluded.
NorthEast United finished second in Group B with six points from three games and crashed out of the Kalinga Super Cup. Jamshedpur FC, who finished with nine points, progressed through to the semi-finals from the group.
