The picture was the same before the break. But after the break the picture changed completely. If the first half of the traditional Durand Cup final at the Vivekananda Yuvabharati Stadium on Saturday belonged to the Mohun Bagan Super Giants, the second half was surely North East United. No amount of praise can be enough for the way North East came back from two goals down after the break, fighting back to claim two goals against defending champions Mohun Bagan.

This remarkable comeback was rewarded in the tie breaker. Their young goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh Chahal made North East United's 133rd Durand Cup title by making a pair of saves in the tiebreaker in the same way that their goalkeeper Vishal Kaith had won Mohun Bagan in the last two matches. The name of a new champion was written in the history of Durand Cup.

Mohun Bagan SG played exciting football from the start in front of their home fans on Saturday. From defense to attack, they outclassed North East United in all categories. There was no way to understand North East's performance in the first half of the tournament, with the way they played football in the finals. It almost fades under the influence of Mohun Bagan.

North East United returned to their familiar mood after the break. Jithin MS, Aladdin Azare, Nestor Albayakhra continued to attack the green and maroon forces in their own half in the second half after Jason Cummings and Sahal Abdul Samad scored from the penalty. After 10 minutes of the second half, Hazard and super sub Guillermo Fernandez scored both goals in just three minutes.

Northeast's Guillermo, captain Miguel Jabacco, Parthiv Gogoi and Azare made no mistakes in the penalty shootout as the game went to a tie breaker. Mohun Bagan's Jason Cummings sent the ball over the bar early on. But the referee gave him another chance to take the penalty and he succeeded. After that, Manbir Singh scored but Gurmeet blocked Liston Colasso's shot. The 24-year-old goalkeeper Gurmeet, who joined the team from Hyderabad FC last season, made a brilliant save of Green-Maroon captain Subhashis Bose's shot despite Dimitrius Petrats getting the ball into the net, allowing his teammates and fans to celebrate. who also won the tournament's Golden Glove title.

Mohun Bagan, playing football from the start of the day, went ahead with a goal from the penalty after 11 minutes. Northeast defender Ashir Akhtar pulled Sahal by the jersey in the penalty box. As a result, the referee took no time to blow the penalty whistle. Australian forward Jason Cummings (1-0) did not make a mistake in scoring from the penalty spot, who was dropped from the start along with Greg Stewart and Mohunbagan coach Jose Molina benched Petras.

In the 19th minute, Greg Stewart created a golden opportunity to increase the gap from the left side. Entering the box, he took a corner shot from the head of the six-yard box, which flew just over the bar. Goalkeeper Gurmeet blocked Manveer's shot after 41 minutes. Sahal receives the ball from Apuya who rises from the left. It was he who sent the cross to the right side of the box to Manbir. He took a shot at the goal but it was blocked by Gurmeet. The power of Mohun Bagan in the first half of the match was worth watching. They attack continuously.

Golden Ball winner Jithin MS, the North East's speedy winger who was called up to the Indian team, tried to create a few attacks from the left but was closely watched by the Mohun Bagan defenders. Their foreign footballers were also not in their usual rhythm in the first half.

Meanwhile, Northeast's Moroccan midfielder Mohamed Ali Bemam sat out with a hamstring injury, replaced by Nestor Albiakh. Mohun Bagan's Alberto Rodriguez left the field for the same reason and was replaced by Ashish Rai. Due to the hot and humid weather on this day, many footballers suffer from muscle problems.

Sahal scored the team's second goal in the last minute of the five minutes of added time in the first half. Colasso rose from the left and crossed from the byline in front of the goal. Sahal sent the ball directly to the goal from the head of the six-yard box (2-0) in the first touch.

Mohun Bagan coach Molina replaced Petras after the break. At the end of 50 minutes, Dimi's long-range volley crossed the center line and was blocked by Gurmeet just before entering the goal.

But the purpose with which he was brought down, the players of Northeast did not let it succeed. The power of Mohun Bagan was seen in the first half, the power of North East was seen in the second half. In the second half, Northeast looked much more aggressive and confident. As a result, the Mohun Bagan defense was under a lot of pressure.

Albiakh's long-range shot was blocked by Vishal Kayth after 53 minutes. Shubashis blocked Jithin's shot in the previous minute. It was not too late for North East to get the first success by counter-pressing Mohun Bagan. After 55 minutes, they reduced the gap with the goal of Aladdin Azar. Jithin gave him a goal pass from the head of the box. The Moroccan forward put the ball in the net with a corner shot in the first touch (2-1). Although there were two defenders in front of him, they could not do anything.

North East equalized three minutes after their first goal. After 58 minutes, Super Sub Guillermo Fernandez (2-2) took a direct shot from the right side of the box after Hazard's cross from the left side. Shubashis was in front of him. But he could not stop the goal scorer.

Northeast got multiple chances to increase the goal gap. They would have gone ahead if Guillermo's superb long-range shot had not been saved in the 62nd minute. Guillermo, Albiakh, Jithinra attacked frequently. They did not give the opponent a chance to counterattack. Mohun Bagan's midfield didn't seem organized then either. Mohun Bagan, which attacked twice from the midfield, was resisted by Northeast. Meanwhile in the 88th minute, Petras counter-attacked with a powerful shot from the front of the box to the left, which flew narrowly over the bar.

Jithin's strong long-range shot was saved by Kshipr Vishal after 68 minutes. At the end of the 86th minute, Albiakh took a direct shot at the goal from a free kick and it was again saved by the Bagan goalkeeper. At the end of the match, Northeast cornered the opponent in their own box. The green-maroon defense was so organized at this point that they couldn't score. As a result, the match inevitably turns into a tiebreaker.

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NorthEast United FCMohun Bagan Super Giant2024-2025