The Highlanders locked horns with the Gaurs in Fatorda last night in an interesting showdown that ended in a stalemate. North-East United started the game on a pragmatic note and tried to gain control over the majority of the game while Goa started off on a bright note.
Idrissa Sylla however got the chance to have his second goal of the season. After a shove by the Goan defender, Highlanders were given a penalty which was re-taken to convert. While the fans went berzerk with the goal, the joy was short-lived as Brandon Fernandes and Igor Angulo combined again to bring Gaurs level.
NEUFC, with a gameplan of counter attacking football were vulnerable right after their lead as the whipped cross was met in the near post to beat Subhashish.
The worry before the match was the absence of the magician Gallego which the gaffer confirmed would be ready for the next match against East Bengal. His substitute Britto delivered a solid performance nonetheless. Youngest captain of the ISL Apuia had another stellar performance raising the bar he set for himself last season. However, the injury scar to Subhasish would be something that the fans would be a bit concerned about.
While NEUFC continues its unbeaten run, they would definitely want to convert those half chances and draws to win which was reminiscent of last season, even though performance wise they had more grit and heart.
Interestingly, there was an incident where Gaffer Gerard was shoved to the ground by a Goan player which was sarcastically applauded by their coaching staff which was quite frankly unprofessional behaviour. While we condemn such acts in this beautiful game, we pull up our socks, lace our boots for the next game against 'The Bangals' which would be a scintillating draw.
Up the Highlanders
We Walk Through This Together
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