NorthEast United needed Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan's [Read his exclusive interview HERE] goal to beat a spirited Odisha FC 2-1 at Guwahati on Saturday. The win against ten-man Odisha propelled Robert Jarni's side to the top of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2019-20 table with four points. They shared the spoils with defending champions Bengaluru FC in their opener. After Redeem Tlang scored their quickest goal in the league, a second-minute strike from a Panagiotis Triadis set, the hosts enjoyed domination for a long spell. But Josep Gombau's visitors equalised through a brilliant Xisco Hernandez finish, within 60 seconds, they lost a man. Carlos Delgado got a straight red card for a 'last-man' challenge of Maximiliano Barreiro. Then, Gyan buried a header. Three points for the hosts. Tomorrow, former champions Chennaiyin FC host Mumbai City [Read preview HERE].
Get highlights of NorthEast United Vs Odisha FC match here:
Full-Time: NorthEast United 2-1 Odisha FC
90+4' - NorthEast killing time. Short corner with Asamoah Gyan on the ball. Then a throw-in, followed by a little fight, literally, for the ball. Daniel Lalhlimpuia almost makes it a three, but his attempt misses the target. Sails over the bar. And, that's all.
90+2' - Hero of the match is Asamoah Gyan. He seems to have sealed a fighting win for NorthEast. Another attack from the hosts.
90' - Four minutes added. And lots of stoppages. NorthEast in the midst of a good move.
89' - Sub for Odisha. Daniel Lalhlimpuia in for Vinit Rai. And another yellow card. This time Nanda Kumar Sekar.
88' - Sub for NorthEast. Shouvik Ghosh in for Wayne Vaz. Good chance for Odisha from a corner. Also a yellow card for Redeem Tlang.
85' - GOAL! Ghanian legend Asamoah Gyan gets a free header and he buries it.
84' - Jerry Mawihmingthanga sends in a good delivery but a NorthEast defender blocks it and launches a counter. What a play for the hosts. Redeem Tiang shoots bu block and goes for a corner.
79' - Sub for NorthEast. Lalthathanga Khawlhring in for Milan Oinam.
74' - Another stoppage after Aridane Santana goes down after a tussle with Kai Heerings.
71' - GOAL! A brilliant finish from Xisco Hernandez to equalise for Odisha. Then a straight red card for Carlos Delgado for a foul just outside the box. Odisha down to ten-man. Last man tackle. Moments ago Wayne Vaz got a booking.
69' - Clear foul on Marcos Tebar by Jose Leudo, and advantage. Then, a shot on target for Odisha from Xisco Hernandez. Xisco argues with the referee, asking to show the card for that clumsy challenge.
64' - Narayan Das sends in a cross for Aridane Santana, but the later's dummy to set up Xisco only gets to Kai Heerings for clearance.
63' - Milan Oinam too eager. Goes for the goal from a distance. No trouble for Odisha goalie.
60' - Sub for NorthEast. Argentine Maximiliano Barreiro in for Panagiotis Triadis.
57' - Panagiotis Triadis concedes a free kick in the centre for shirt pulling. Odisha almost get the equaliser. Nanda Kumar produces a blistering run then links up with Xisco. The Spaniard release the ball for the Indian youngster. But the final effort was too soft. Blocked.
55' - After a spell of defensive play, Northeast get a move going with Panagiotis Triadis on the run.
52' - Odisha players inside the Northeast box fail to read Diawandou Diagne's cross. Wasted chance. But a good period of play for the visitors.
49' - Odisha win a corner. Nothing comes of it as Subhashish Roy takes an easy collection despite reading the flight incorrectly. No one near him.
47' - Lively start from NorthEast. Vinit Rai forced to defend with a sliding kick.
46' - Double change for Odisha during the break. Martin Guedes made way for Diawandou Diagne and Nandakumar Sekar in for Shubham Sarangi.
Good contest at Guwahati. NorthEast United took the lead in the second minute from a brilliant Panagiotis Triadis, who's playing his first game, move. The hosts also got other chances coming their way. Odisha themselves got more than a couple of chances but veteran goalie Subhashish Roy stood like a rock. Then, there were very physical contests in the centre, involving the big names, including a kick in the face after a tangle.
First Half: NorthEast United 1-0 Odisha FC
45+3' - NorthEast win a throw, and it's half-time in Guwahati.
45+1' - Off-side. Xisco Hernandez is fuming. Yellow card for Subhashish Roy for time-wasting. Two minutes added. And Rana Gharami is on the floor after getting hit by the stretching arms of Asamoah Gyan while going for a high ball. Ghanian booked.
44' - A good looking delivery from Aridane Santana. But little high for Xisco Hernandez. Goal-kick. Then, on the counter, Panagiotis Triadis win a corner following a block from Shubham Sarangi.
42' - Another probing move from Odisha, back and forth, then pull back their pack. Possibly waiting for the right opening.
40' - Narayan Das fails to control the ball and throw-in for NorthEast United in their own half. Moments ago, Jerry Mawihmingthanga tried to launch an attack after cutting inside from the right. But too crowded.
39' - Poor play from Asamoah Gyan. He tries to relay it for an arriving team-mate just outside the Odisha box, but the too timid of a push.
38' - Asamoah Gyan, hounded by Odisha players, wins a free-kick in the centre line, and Panagiotis Triadis takes one for the team by bringing down Xisco Hernandez. Free kick to Odisha.
35' - A very good attempt from Jerry Mawihmingthanga. Win a corner, and in the following play, Subhashish Roy produces a finger-tip save to deny Odisha the equaliser. Another corner, and clearance for NorthEast.
32' - Marcos Tebar concedes a free-kick after climbing on a NorthEast player. Then, from the following play, Asamoah Gyan sets up Panagiotis Triadis. But the Greek fails to beat Arshdeep Singh with his curler.
30' - Good tackle and clearance by Wayne Vaz after Odisha made a dangerous move inside the box.
29' - Brave move from Aridane Santana to go for the long ranger, but again, way off the mark. Odisha are making occasional inroads but not enough so far.
27' - NorthEast frontmen are getting lots of room to shoot or manoeuvre. Milan Oinam shoots one, but way off the mark.
25' - Odisha get a couple of good moves but NorthEast defenders are alert. Then, Asamoah Gyan manages to beat an Odisha defender on the flank before crossing the ball. Off side.
23' - Decent enough delivery from the free-kick, then Panagiotis Triadis wins a corner. And what a play from Northeast. Just missed the target from a Wayne Vaz header.
20' - First booking of the match. Shubham Sarangi gets a yellow for shirt pulling. Panagiotis Triadis is too smart and too strong the youngster.
16' - Panagiotis Triadis gets bundled out while going for a header from a cross. Good move from NorthEast to keep the pressure on.
15' - Great pass from Jerry Mawihmingthanga in the build-up but Aridane Santana is caught off-side.
13' - Lots of pushing and shoving. It takes two Odisha players to pull down Asamoah Gyan in the centre. Moments ago, Jerry Mawihmingthanga tries in vain to deliver a cross from the right flank.
8' - Shubham Sarangi wins a freekick for Odisha, some 25 yards away from goal. Xisco Hernandez goes for the goal, and easy one for NorthEast goalie Subhashish Roy.
6' - Too early make a prediction, but Odisha FC, despite one goal down, are having more possession and look in good touch.
2' - GOAL! Redeem Tiang strikes early for the hosts. Just took two minutes. The right man in the right place to slot home the opener. Panagiotis Triadis making his presence felt with a brilliant play and pin-point pass. That's the quickest goal of the season.
1' - Visitors, in all whites, start the proceedings against the hosts, in red. Good, confident start from Hyderabad.
7:24 PM IST: DHL has just delivered the match ball, and players are coming out.
7:01 PM IST: Wayne Vaz in place of Mislav Komorski and Pangiotis Triadis in for Nikhil Kadam as Robert Jarni made a couple of changes in the NorthEast line-up. One chance for Odisha. Martin Guedes in Nanda Kumar.
6:55 PM IST: Here are the starting XIs.
NorthEast United (4-2-3-1): Subhashish Roy; Reagan Keisham, Kai Heerings, Wayne Vaz, Rakesh Pradhan; Jose Leudo, Milan Oinam; Redeem Tiang, Panagiotis Triadis, Martin Chaves; Asamoah Gyan
Odisha FC (4-3-3): Arshdeep Singh; Shubham Sarangi, Rana Gharami, Carlos Delgado, Narayan Das; Marcos Tebar, Vinit Rai, Xisco Hernandez; Martin Guedes, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Aridane Santana
6:43 PM IST: In another encouraging development today, Bengaluru FC's Sridarth Nongmeikapam has earned a trial with Slovenian club ND Ilirija 1911.
The Pukhao-born Manipuri lad had begun playing football as a youngster and after representing his school at the state level, his impressive performances in the Subroto Cup were followed by a move to the AIFF Elite Academy setup. Two years on, Sridarth has been one of the key members of the squad which secured a place in the final round of the AFC U16 Championships 2020.
6:40 PM IST: Highlights Over The Years - Odisha FC (As Delhi Dynamos)
2014: They entered the league as a favourite, at least on paper, with the likes of Alessandro Del Piero. But finished fifth in the inaugural season after with 18 points from four wins and four draws. They lost six.
2015: Brazil great Roberto Carlos arrived with much fanfare as the coach-cum-player and they made it to the semis after finishing fourth in the league stage. But lost to Goa in the two-legged semis. Florent Malouda was another big name in the squad.
2016: Delhi association with big names continued. This time they brought in Gianluca Zambrotta. And made the semis for the second successive season after finishing third in the league stage. But lost to Kerala Blasters.
2017-18: Then arrived days of struggle. Finished eighth under Miguel Angel Portugal after managing to win five in 18 matches. Lost nine and drew four.2018-19 - The script continued. Josep Gambau arrived as the new manager with lots of hopes, but Spaniard failed to inspire, winning only four in 18 outings. But he has been entrusted to see Odisha FC's induction.
6:33 PM IST: Highlights Over The Years - NorthEast United
2014: The club finished at the bottom of an eight-team league table.
2015: The team finished fifth in the league standings, just outside the playoff spots.
2016: NorthEast United finished fifth in the league standings.
2017-18: The outfit finished at 10th place in the table.
2018-19: The club reached the playoffs after finishing fourth during the league phase. The side lost to Bengaluru FC in the semifinals.
6:26 PM IST: Latest ISL standings
Courtesy: ISL (https://www.indiansuperleague.com/standings)
6:21 PM IST: Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Executive Committee has approved AIFF's roadmap for Indian football in a meeting in Vietnam earlier today.
6:16 PM IST: What happened so far?
NorthEast United started their campaign with a goalless draw away from home to defending champions Bengaluru FC while Odisha FC suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Jamshedpur FC in their ISL debut.
The Northeast-Bengaluru match was supposed to be a cracker of a game, but ended up the poor advertisement of ISL. Early season rustiness can be blamed for the lacklustre display from either side, and also the pouring rain which slowed down the pace of the game. Indian fans expected Gyan, the Ghanian legend, and their own 'skipper' Sunil Chhetri to shine. Instead, the likes of Martin Chaves, Raphael Augusto, Dimas Delgado, Nishu Kumar, etc. stole the limelight. Gyan did manage to score a disallowed goal, then hit the crossbar to impress upon his fans. But that wasn't enough, and will not be enough. Brazilian Augusto was adjudged man of the man.
At Jamshedpur, man of the match Farukh Choudhary forced an own goal off Rana Gharami in the 17th minute, but Aridane Santana produced a sublime volley to equalised after Bikash Jairu was sent off for a sliding tackle on ever-impressive Jerry Mawhmingthanga. Despite having a one-man advantage, Odisha FC failed to kill off the match and allowed Jamshedpur FC to dictate the proceedings at JRD Tata Sports Complex. Tireless Sergio Castel then scored the winner five minutes from the regulation time.
6:08 PM IST: Here are the squads:
NorthEast United: Goalkeepers - Pawan Kumar, Soram Poirei Anganba (from Bengaluru), Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (from Jamshedpur), Gurmeet Singh; Defenders - Mislav Komorski, Kai Heerings (from Fortuna Sittard), Wayne Vaz (from Pune), Gurwinder Singh, Pawan Kumar, Nim Dorjee Tamang (from Pune), Robert Lalthlamuana, Provat Lakra, Shouvik Ghosh, Reagan Keisham, Rakesh Pradhan (from Shillong Lajong); Midfielders: Jose David Leudo, Milan Oinam (from Mumbai City), Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Lalengmawia (from Indian Arrows), Lalrempuia Fanai, Rupert Nongrum, Federico Gallego (from Atletico Boston River), Girik Mahesh Khosla, Panagiotis Triadis, Redeem Tlang, Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei (from Indian Arrows), Nikhil Kadam; Forwards - Asamoah Gyan (free transfer), Martin Chaves (from Juventud de Las Piedras), Alfred Lalruotsanga (from Bengaluru), Maximiliano Barreiro (SD Aucas)
Head Coach: Robert Jarni (Croatia)
Odisha FC: Goalkeepers - Francisco Dorronsoro, Albino Gomes, Arshdeep Singh (from Minerva Punjab), Ankit Bhuyan; Defenders - Carlos Delgado (from CD Castellon), Gaurav Bora (Pune FC), Rana Gharami, Amit Tudu, Mohammad Sajid Dhot, Narayan Das, Pradeep Mohanraj, Fanai Lalchhuanmawia (Chhuantea Fanai); Midfielders - S Lalhrezuala, Marcos Tebar, Diawandou Diagne (from KAS Eupen), Bikramjit Singh, Vinit Rai, Martin Perez Guedes (from Racing Club II), Adria Carmona, Jerry Mawihmingthanga (from Jasmshedpur FC), Xisco Hernandez (from Bengaluru FC), Nandha Kumar Sekar, Romeo Fernandes; Forwards - Aridane Santana (from Cultural Leonesa, on loan), Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Seiminmang Manchong, Shubham Sarangi
Head Coach: Josep Gombau (Spain)
6:00 PM IST: Did You Know?
- Asamoah Gyan is the highest scoring African in the FIFA World Cup with six goals.
- Formerly known as Delhi Dynamos, Odisha have won three out of five times against NorthEast.
- Last season, NorthEast won only twice at home (drew six times at home) in their run to the playoffs.
5:45 PM IST: Here are team previews:
After a playoff finish in 2018-19, NorthEast United will be aiming for another successful campaign in the 2019-20 Indian Super League season. Although, the club saw Eelco Schattorie, Bartholomew Ogbeche depart for Kerala Blasters and Rowllin Borges leave for Mumbai City, the Highlanders will be hoping that new arrival Asamoah Gyan will fire all cylinders for them. Also, Robert Jarni’s entry at the helm is a sign of good things to come for the outfit.
Technically, Odisha FC are one of the new outfits to join ISL bandwagon -- country's top-tier football league. But they have the league experience and many still believe that their souls still roam the streets of the national capital, where they used to compete as Delhi Dynamos. In an off-season relocation, or rather transplantation, Dynamos moved to Odisha, the new hub of Indian sports, and now are known as the Odisha Football Club. That's there brief history. And they are only months old. But that doesn't make a rookie.
Premise:
The Highlanders are still without Rupert Nongrum and Federico Gallego due to long-term injuries. Meanwhile, the visitors have a fully-fit squad.
NEUFC head coach Jarni feels that his team needs to wary of Odisha. "We saw the game between Odisha and Jamshedpur. It (Odisha FC) is a strong team. They have their strengths and we are working on this. But, of course, at home we will be playing more attacking football, make the fans enjoy and we are ready for that kind of football," he said during the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Gombau revealed that Gyan will be a huge threat to his side. "He is a big name, a big player and it will be difficult. It’s not like we are going to do anything special to stop him. Our players know him and can stop him. We know how much quality he brings to the table as well", he stated.
