134th Durand Cup: NorthEast Utd defend title in style with dominant win over Diamond Harbour

Kolkata, Aug 23 (IANS) Defending champions NorthEast United FC produced a dominant display to dismantle debutants Diamond Harbour FC 6-1 in the grand finale of the 134th Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday, sealing their second straight title in style.

A night of relentless attacking football saw the Highlanders overwhelm their opponents, with six different players on the scoresheet and talisman Alaaeddine Ajaraie starring with three assists and a late penalty. Diamond Harbour’s solitary strike came in the 68th minute, credited to Luka Majcen after Jobby Justin’s header deflected off him.

Juan Pedro Benali made two attacking tweaks from the semifinal win against Shillong Lajong FC, introducing Huidom Thoi Singh and Parthib Gogoi to join Alaaeddine Ajaraie in the forward line. Skipper Miguel Zabaco marshalled the backline alongside Asheer Akhtar, Redeem Tlang, and Buanthanglun Samte, with Gurmeet in goal. Spaniards Andy Gaitan and Chema Nunez partnered with Mayakkannan in midfield, maintaining Benali’s trusted 4-3-3 setup.

Kibu Vicuna, meanwhile, fielded his Diamond Harbour side in a similar shape, with captain Jobby Justin and Girik Mahesh Khosla supporting Slovenian striker Luka Majcen upfront. Spaniard Mikel Kortazar paired Sairuatkima in central defence ahead of goalkeeper Mirshad Koottappunna. Liansanga, Paul, and Samuel provided balance in midfield as the debutants looked to continue their dream run.

The final began at a brisk but tactical pace, with both sides cautious in possession. NorthEast tested Mirshad early, Ajaraie’s long-range shot, and Parthib’s header, forcing routine saves inside the opening four minutes.

Diamond Harbour responded with intent. In the 14th minute, Luka Majcen narrowly failed to connect with a headed flick from Kortazar after a long throw by Jobby. Four minutes later, Kortazar himself headed wide from a clever Jobby cross on the turn. The newcomers looked the more composed side after the 20-minute mark, with Jobby forcing a diving save from Gurmeet in the 23rd minute and later finding the side-netting.

Yet, it was the defending champions who got the first goal. A clever cut-back from Samte in the 28th minute found Parthib, whose effort was parried away by Mirshad. The resulting corner sparked the breakthrough.

Andy’s corner was poorly dealt with by the Diamond Harbour defence, and though Mirshad produced a fine initial stop from Mayakkannan’s strike, the loose ball fell to centre-back Asheer Akhtar, who swept it home to give the champions a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.

Chema Nunez wasted a gilt-edged chance to double the advantage in the 39th minute, dragging his shot wide after Ajaraie’s clever build-up play. Diamond Harbour nearly punished that lapse when Kortazar had a free header in the 43rd minute, but the opportunity went begging.

Right at the stroke of half-time, NorthEast delivered a hammer blow. Parthib Gogoi found himself in space and curled a composed right-foot finish beyond Mirshad to make it 2-0. The Highlanders entered the interval with a firm grip on proceedings, boasting 8 shots (6 on target) to Diamond Harbour’s 4 (just one on target).

Any hopes of a comeback were quashed within five minutes of the restart. Ajaraie surged past the Diamond Harbour backline to collect Nunez’s lofted pass and squared unselfishly for Thoi Singh, who tapped home to extend the lead to 3-0 in the 50th minute.

Gurmeet then kept out a thunderous effort from Liansanga in the 63rd minute, maintaining his clean sheet for five more minutes. In the 68th minute, Jobby Justin’s header from a Robilal Mandi corner took a heavy deflection off Majcen’s body, wrong-footing Gurmeet and pulling one back for Diamond Harbour.

Diamond Harbour briefly threatened, with Jobby and Paul both squandering chances in quick succession, but NorthEast quickly reasserted control.

In the 81st minute, substitute Jairo pounced on a punched clearance by Mirshad, rifling home a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to restore the three-goal cushion at 4-1. Ajaraie, who was a constant menace, turned provider again in the 85th minute. His low cross from the left was met by a sliding finish from Andy, who made it 5-1, marking Ajaraie’s third of the night.

The Moroccan forward then put the icing on the cake. In stoppage time, his curling strike from distance rattled the post, but he was quickest to the rebound, drawing a foul from Sairuatkima inside the box. From the spot, Ajaraie calmly converted to cap a sensational personal display and complete the 6-1 rout.

As the final whistle blew, the Highlanders' bench burst with happiness in front of the crowd, lifting the Durand Cup trophies for the second successive year, the first team to do so in 25 years. The result also marked the joint-highest margin of victory in a Durand Cup final since 1896, when Somerset Light Infantry beat Black White by the same score line.

Individual Awards

NorthEast United FC cleaned all the individual awards, with Moroccan forward Alaaeddine Ajaraie emerging as the standout performer of the tournament, claiming both the Golden Ball for best player and the Golden Boot as the top scorer with 8 goals. Goalkeeper Gurmeet was awarded the Golden Glove for his consistency and crucial saves.

--IANS

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