Northeast beat Delhi, on top of table
NEW DELHI: Goals from Federico Gallego and Bartholomew Ogbeche saw Northeast United beat Delhi Dynamos 2-0 in an Indian Super League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday, sending them to the top of the standings with 11 points from five games.
With the ground being engulfed by a haze of smog — PM 2.5 crossed a hazardous level of 300 in areas in and around the stadium — conditions i n the national capital were barely conducive for a game of football. The visitors, however, were backed by a majority of the 12,342-strong crowd and they took no time in taking control of the game.
Just six minutes into the match, Ogbeche almost gave Northeast the breakthrough when he deftly lobbed the ball above Dynamos keeper Francisco Dorronsoro, only for the ball to come back, off the crossbar. Like their last game here against Chennaiyin, it was turning into another struggle for the hosts.
Ogbeche would continue to cause problems and had a big shout for a penalty in the 24th minute when he went down following a last-ditch tackle by Marti Crespi. The referee waved away appeals by Northeast players.
The visitors continued to dominate but suffered a blow late into the first half when defender Gurwinder Singh limped away with an injury. He was replaced by Lal- thathanga Khawlhring.
The second half saw fewer chances for either side, and a goalless draw looked well on the cards until the game sprang to life again in the 82nd minute when an attempted clearance from the Dynamos backline found NorthEast’s Gallego at the edge of the box.
The forward cut inside and shot towards the goal. His effort managed to sneak through Dorronsoro’s near post, much to the delight of the Northeast fans.
The hosts’ response to the goal was timid and Northeast killed off the game deep into injury time when Gallego laid off the ball for Ogbeche from a counter-attack for the latter to finish from close range to double his side’s lead. The win sees Dynamos remain third from bottom with just three points from six games.
POLLUTION CONCERNS
Speaking of the rising levels of air pollution, Delhi coach Josep Gombau said, “We are taking precaution; some players are wearing masks in training. But this is something we can’t control. The health of my players is more important than anything else.”
ATK BANK ON JOHNSON
KOLKATA: Eyeing their maiden win against Bengaluru FC, ATK are banking on their defender John Johnson’s input on the last year’s runners-up, coach Steve Coppell said. Johnson was a regular in Bengaluru FC since the club’s inception in 2013.
The English defender will be now be donning ATK colours.