Northeast United FC Defeats East Bengal FC 3-2 in Thrilling Match at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium

Northeast United FC hosted East Bengal FC in a critical match in the top-6 race at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. The Highlanders emerged victorious with a narrow 3-2 win, avenging their 5-0 defeat in the previous encounter. Thanks to this win, Northeast United climbs into the top six in the ISL standings under head coach Juan Pedro Benali.

Having struggled with an eight-game winless streak, Northeast United showed resilience against East Bengal. Tomi Juric, the Australian striker, made an immediate impact by scoring in the fourth minute, followed by Nestor Albiach doubling the lead. Samte came close to adding a third with a long-range effort, but the score remained 2-0 at halftime.

In the second half, Nandhakumar pulled one back for East Bengal, but Juric quickly restored Northeast United’s two-goal lead with a well-placed strike. Despite East Bengal’s late goal through Felicio Brown Forbes, Northeast United held on for a crucial 3-2 victory.

Both teams made strategic substitutions throughout the game, with Juric’s performance standing out for Northeast United. Meanwhile, East Bengal’s defensive lapses proved costly as they conceded as many goals in this game as they had in their previous six ISL matches combined.

With this result, Northeast United climbs into the top six, while East Bengal’s concerns grow over their defensive instability. The next fixtures for both teams will see East Bengal facing Mumbai City FC on February 13, and Northeast United visiting Mohun Bagan Super Giants on February 17.

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