Durga Boro (C) and Massamba Lô Sambou celebrate after the Senegalese defender scores his first goal.Cellar team NorthEast United FC crushed depleted league leaders Chennaiyin FC 3-0 in their backyard on Thursday night to elevate themselves to fifth position in the Hero Indian Super League table. Durga Boro opened the account for the hosts and Senegalese defender Massamba Lô Sambou helped himself to a brace, all inside 23 minutes.The Highlanders were on the ball right from the word go. They pegged the visitors back in their own half with their passing and speed of movement, particularly down the flanks. The fans didn’t have to wait long to see the home team go in front, when Eric Djemba-Djemba’s headed clearance hit Seiminlen Doungel and fell kindly for Boro in the 10th minute. The Assamese striker was in the right place at the right time and pounced on the opportunity and finished past a charging Gennaro Bracigliano.That opened the floodgates, and some ten minutes later Sambou got two goals in quick succession, both from set pieces, one a corner, and the other a free kick. The latter was a beautifully floated in curler from Koke which saw Sambou rise majestically over his markers and head it powerfully across the goal and into the far corner of the net. Both goals came in a space of two minutes, and NorthEast were three goals ahead in the 23rd minute after managing to score just one goal in the past three games.The match had a lot of heated moments as the visitors felt the pressure getting to them, but surprisingly, they were the team that ended the game with 11 men, as the Highlanders’ marquee player Joan Capdevila was sent off in the 72nd minute after his second booking.Chennaiyin FC still remain on top with 19 points while NorthEast United have 13, but the league leaders will now feel the pressure what with Atlético de Kolkata hot on their heels. The losers head down south to Kochi for a game against Kerala Blasters FC on November 30 while the winners travel to Goa for their next fixture on December 1. Match awardsHero of the Match: Massamba Lô Sambou (NorthEast United FC) (watch here)Swift Moment of the Match: Durga Boro (NorthEast United FC) (watch here)Amul Fittest Player of the Match: Kondwani Mtonga (NorthEast United FC) ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Seiminlen Doungel (NorthEast United FC)
