NorthEast United FC bowed out of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on a high with a resounding 3-0 victory against Odisha FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday night. 

Though the Highlanders were unable to qualify for the playoffs, they gave a good account of the progressive steps they have taken in this campaign by recording an overwhelming victory against the Juggernauts who succumbed to their third loss in their last five games in the league.

Sergio Lobera & Co. hence finished the league season with 39 points and will be battling Kerala Blasters in the playoffs for a place in the semifinals. The Highlanders, who were last in the table in 2022-23, finished seventh with 26 points from 22 matches.

It was a clinical outing by the Highlanders, and young attacker Parthib Gogoi opened the scoring for them. Gogoi had started the season by find the mark in each of their first three league games. He brought curtains down to the campaign with a goal to his name, albeit in a different style. Renowned for his out-of-the-box efforts, tonight, Parthib tapped in a low cross in the 12th minute.

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Four minutes later, the home team doubled their lead and it was their Spanish talisman Nestor Albiach who swung into action. Parthib, lively in the final third, laid the ball up for Nestor, who carried the ball into the Odisha FC box with effortless ease and put it past Lalthuammawia Ralte to round off one of the most captivating solo efforts of the season.

Odisha attacker Pranjil Bhumij drew a foul inside the 18-yard box in the 24th minute, but Roy Krishna’s shot from the spot was saved in the bottom left corner by NorthEast United FC goalkeeper Mirshad Michu. This was the first time that Krishna missed a penalty in his ISL career, having converted each of his previous 10 efforts. The Highlanders made them pay for this slip-up, with Phalguni Singh getting his name on the scoresheet in the added time of the first half. Gogoi’s cross inside the centre of the box was lapped upon and netted in by Phalguni to bag his team’s third goal of the night, and effectively hand his team a formidable lead in the proceedings.

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NorthEast United can take heart from the fact that they have plenty of positives to build upon in the next season, whereas Odisha FC would arguably wonder why their impeccable season has been derailing gradually especially in such a critical juncture of the season.

(With inputs from ISL Media)

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