History has been created by Pedro Benali’s Northeast United FC! Today, at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, they played their first-ever final match and became the champions of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup. In the final match, they snatched a glorious victory over Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
What a comeback victory by the Highlanders! The match went into sudden death after Northeast United FC equalized the scoreline to 2-2. Earlier, last year’s Durand Cup champions took the lead in the 9th minute when Sahal Abdul Samad was fouled inside the eighteen-yard box, earning a penalty kick. Cummins took the penalty and secured an early lead for Mohun Bagan SG.
Before halftime, Mohun Bagan SG doubled their lead with a graceful combination play between Liston Colaco and Sahal Abdul Samad. Liston’s back pass set up Sahal, who scored the goal. The first half was fully controlled by Mohun Bagan SG.
But in the second half, at the 54th minute, Alaaeddine Ajaraie pulled one back for Northeast United FC. Just three minutes later, super-sub Guillermo equalized the score to 2-2 for Northeast United FC. That was the turning point of the game, which changed the momentum of the match.
During regulation time, neither team managed to score more. The final match of the Durand Cup 2024 went into a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Northeast United FC’s last line of defense, goalkeeper Gurmeet, made two crucial saves—one from Liston Colaco and the other from captain Subhasish Bose. With those two saves, Gurmeet secured Northeast United FC’s first championship, as his team successfully converted their first four penalty kicks.
What a glorious evening for Northeast United FC! They won their first trophy in history after defeating last year’s Durand Cup champions, Mohun Bagan SG, to become the new champions of the Durand Cup 2024. The team showed incredible spirit, pulling off a remarkable comeback win in the final of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup against the tournament’s most successful club. This evening and the glorious championship will be written in their history with golden words forever.
Man of the Match
Noah Sadaoui (Kerala Blasters FC) won the highest goal scorer award in the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup, securing the Golden Boot with 6 goals.
Gurmeet Singh (Northeast United FC) earned the joint-Golden Glove award with a brilliant goalkeeping performance. Meanwhile, Jitin MS (Northeast United FC) was named the best player of the tournament and took home the Golden Ball.
