Northeast United became Durand Cup champions for the first time: beat defending champions Mohun Bagan 4–3; Gurmeet saved 2 goals in the shootout

On the back of Gurmeet Singh's brilliant goalkeeping, Northeast United FC have won the Durand Cup football title, Asia's oldest tournament. The team beat defending champions Mohun Bagan 4–3 in a shootout in the final match of the 133rd season despite trailing by 2 goals. The North East United team has become the champion for the first time in this tournament. Not only this, it is also the club's first trophy in Indian football. The final match played at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharti Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday night was tied 2-2 at full time. In such a situation, the champion was decided by a shootout. 24-year-old Gurmeet Singh stopped Liston Colaco's goal at the third attempt. Then in the 5th attempt, he stopped Mohun Bagan captain Subhashish Bose's shot and turned the match in his team's favour. Mohun Baga had to settle for second place for the 13th time. Bollywood actor John Abraham, the owner of Northeast United FC, was also present to watch this match. The shootout was a thriller During the shootout, Guillermo Fernandez, captain Miguel Jabaco Tom, Parthib Gogoi and Aladin Azrai scored their respective tries for Northeast United. On the other hand, Jason Cummings, Manveer Singh and Dimitri Petratos scored goals for Mohun Bagan. Liston Colaco and captain Subhashish Bose missed the goal. Who won what Mohun Bagan was leading 2-0 at half time In the final match Mohun Bagan team was leading 2-0 at half time. Jason Cummins and Sahal Abdul Samad scored for the defending champions. Cummins kicked a penalty while Samad kicked a field goal before halftime. In the second half, Aladdin Azara (55th minute) and Guillermo Fernandez (58th minute) scored to equalize the score. Then in the shootout, North East goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh saved two penalties and ensured victory for his team. Durand Cup The 136-year-old Durand Cup tournament is the oldest tournament in Asia. It is the 5th oldest football tournament in the world. It was started in 1888 in Shimla. So far 133 seasons of the tournament have been played.

Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).