Match Report: Lions and Highlanders share spoils as Delhi defence diffuses NEUFC domination
A HYPNOTIZING FREE-KICK by Simao Sabrosa saw NorthEast United level with Delhi Dynamos after Richard Gadze had put them ahead in the first half to see the match to a 1-1 draw despite being the more attacking side, thanks to stout performances especially from Delhi defender John Arne Riise and keeper Toni Doblas.
Trouble with the floodlights at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium caused a delay in the kick-off. By the time the match started it was around 7:35 pm and the starting XI of the home team had a big surprise for the fans.
Marquee player-coach Roberto Carlos had decided to bring himself into the starting line-up to replace Chicao and Sehnaj Singh had replaced Souvik Chakraborty who is out with a suspension.
NorthEast United made four changes to the side that started in the match against Mumbai City that they lost 5-1. Yumnam Raju, Setyasen Singh, Diomansy Kamara and Francis Dadzie returned to the starting XI to field a much more balanced team against Delhi.
The match was action-packed from the get go as the multitudes of NEUFC fans incessantly made themselves heard from the stands.
The visitors started on the offensive as an early chance saw Sanju miss the target. Next minute Malouda ran deep into NEUFC territory but Lopez managed to clear it.
Dadzie nearly found the target when Seityasen set him up with a well-timed cross. Then the Highlanders had a corner kick, which Sanju delivered to Kamara whose header hit the crossbar.
Within seconds Silas passed to Yumnam who sent a good cross into the box but Seityasen's header was off target.
Roberto Carlos was having a tough night in the early minutes, clearly struggling to keep up with the runnings. When the Dynamos got a free kick from 35 meters out he stepped up as the whole stadium waited for some of the good old Roberto magic. But the left footed kick came out slow and low and hit the wall.
Meanwhile Robin Singh, who had made a couple of unpleasant fouls earlier in the game, finally got on the referee's book by handling the ball off a Sehnaj throw-in.
A game of counters ensued, although NEUFC looked to have the more dangerous of chances.
But Delhi keeper Toni Doblas, who had earned the golden gloves armband before kick-off for leading the race to earn the most clean sheets in ISL, stood like a rock to diffuse all the Highlanders' maneuvres. Around the 33 minute mark a good shot from Sanju Pradhan was saved by Toni. The ball ghot back to Pradhan who crossed to Dadzie whose shot was once again saved by Doblas, leaping up from the ground. The ball went to Kamara who shot it wide. Delhi survived.
And then they scored. Off a counter. Florent Malouda sprinted forward with the ball and passed it to Gadze who under pressure from a defender had only time for one touch on the ball and he took that shot perfectly, sending it past Rehenesh. Delhi were up 1-0.
As the first half came to a close another chance befell Roberto who had come up for the counter. He shot the ball way too high.
And thus it was that Delhi finished the first half with a 1-0 lead even though the numbers showed that NEUFC had clearly been the more aggressive side. It wasn't unlike Delhi to work a match to their favour without dominating it. But the Highlanders were not going to let this go so easy.
The second half bengal with Sanju Pradhan trying to work the final third again with limited success. A free kick for Delhi saw John Arne Riise step up to take it in light of the poor execution from Roberto in the first half. It didn't trouble Rehenesh though.
Soon on the other end NEUFC got a free kick after Anas Edathodika brought Yumnam down. Silas took the free kick and Doblas was unable to reach it... but the ball hit the crossbar and went out of play.
Then within minutes the visitors found the corssbar again. Dadzie's shot came right off the woodwork and fell to Kamara, whose shot was blocked by the ever vigilant John Arne Riise.
But the Highlanders' run of repeated misfortune finally came to an end around 70th minute, right after Roberto Carlos had subbed himself with Serginho Greene, when Kamara wend down under pressure from Hans Mulder inches outside the penalty box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot thinking the foul happened inside the box, but soon reversed his decision when the linesman told him it should be a free-kick instead.
NEUFC made a change; their marquee striker Simao Sabrosa was brought on replacing Silas, and his first act in the match was to take that free kick.
He took that kick stunnigly well, leaving the entire Delhi Dynamos wall and the goalkeeper dumbfounded. They did not move much and stood watching as the ball found its way into the net. NorthEast United were back level with twently-odd minutes to go.
Chances kept coming to both sides. A long ball reached Rehenesh who punched it away instead of catching it. This almost proved costly as the ball went straight to Hans Mulder, whose shot just about missed the goal.
The last few minutes of the match became increasingly comative as Sehnaj Singh and Bruno Perone both got booked. There were some good saves from both goalkeepers to prevent their team from getting sucker punched into defeat. At the very last minute NEUFC had one last free kick from scoring range but the chance went begging. The match remained 1-1 as an entertaining contest between the NorthEast attackers and Delhi defenders came to a close.
Delhi lost their lead at home and failed to claim the top of the table at the end of the first leg of ISL. But Roberto Carlos will be happy nonetheless to have managed to hold off the NEUFC attack from doing more damage. While the performance would be a boost for the visitors as well; they were unlucky to hit the woodwork multiple times, and earning a draw against a team like Delhi away from home is a sizeable moral boost going into the business end of the regular season.
Delhi Dynamos now occupy the 2nd position in the table, with 13 points, but trailing Pune City in goal difference. NorthEast United are 7th, 3 points behind Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai who are all on 10; somewhat behind the leading pack but threatening to make a strong comeback any day.
As the race to top four builds up to its climax, Delhi will welcome Mumbai City on Friday, a team that had beaten them 2-0 in the first leg. While NorthEast United will now travel to Kolkata to take on the defending champions on Saturday, whom they had beaten 1-0 at home. But previous records will mean little as circumstances evolve quickly in this highly competitive tournament, with none of the teams being anywhere near being ruled out from a semi-final berth.
