NorthEast United Wins First Durand Cup After Thrilling Comeback Against Mohun Bagan
In an exciting final held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) made a stunning comeback to win the 133rd Durand Cup. They defeated the defending champions, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG), on penalties after being two goals down in the first half.
First Half: Mohun Bagan Takes the Lead
Mohun Bagan started strong with Jason Cummings and Sahal Abdul Samad scoring to give them a 2-0 lead. NorthEast United struggled initially, with only Jithin M.S showing some promise. An injury to Mohammed Ali Bemammer added to their woes.
Second Half: NorthEast United Fights Back
NorthEast United made key substitutions, bringing in Guillermo Fernandez and Nestor Albiach. This revitalized the team, and they quickly equalized with goals from Alaaeddine Ajaraie and Guillermo Fernandez. The match went into penalties after a dominant second-half performance by NorthEast United.
Penalty Shootout: Gurmeet Singh Shines
In the penalty shootout, NorthEast United’s goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh saved two crucial spot kicks. Guillermo Fernandez, Michel Zabaco, Parthib Gogoi, and Alaaeddine Ajaraie successfully converted their penalties, securing the win for NorthEast United. Mohun Bagan could only convert three of their penalties.
Awards and Prizes
NorthEast United received a winning purse of INR 60,00,000, while Mohun Bagan got INR 30,00,000 as runners-up. Gurmeet Singh won the Golden Glove, Noah Sadaoui received the Golden Boot for scoring six goals, and Jithin M.S was named Man of the Tournament.
Doubts Revealed
NorthEast United FC -: NorthEast United FC is a football (soccer) team from the northeastern region of India. They play in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Durand Cup -: The Durand Cup is one of the oldest football tournaments in India. It started in 1888 and is named after Mortimer Durand, a British diplomat.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant -: Mohun Bagan Super Giant is a famous football club from Kolkata, India. They have a long history and are one of the oldest football clubs in Asia.
comeback -: A comeback in sports means when a team that is losing catches up and wins the game.
penalties -: Penalties in football are special kicks taken from a spot 11 meters away from the goal. They are used to decide the winner if the match is tied.
spot kicks -: Spot kicks are another term for penalty kicks in football. They are taken from a specific spot on the field.
INR 60,00,000 -: INR 60,00,000 means 60 lakh Indian Rupees. It’s a large amount of money given as a prize.
Golden Glove -: The Golden Glove is an award given to the best goalkeeper in a tournament.
Golden Boot -: The Golden Boot is an award given to the player who scores the most goals in a tournament.
Man of the Tournament -: Man of the Tournament is an award given to the best player in the entire tournament.