New Delhi: A dominant NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) scored two late goals to beat Delhi Dynamos 2-0 in their ISL-V encounter here Tuesday.
The home side failed to create enough chances to score and were outplayed by the visitors who, however, could not find a breakthrough until the 82nd minute at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
A moment of individual brilliance from Federico Gallego (82nd) and a clinical strike by Bartholomew Ogbeche (90th) helped NEUFC climb to the top of the table with 11 points, although they have played a match more than FC Goa who are second with 10 points.
This was NUEFC third victory on the road and the best start they have had in the ISL. The Highlanders spurned a golden chance to take an early lead five minutes into the match.
A pacy surge forward was led by Ogbeche who played a one-two with Redeem Tlang before unleashing a dipping effort from the edge of the box. The goalkeeper stood no chance of keeping it out but luckily for him, the effort hit the crossbar.
The visitors were attacking in numbers with Tlang’s exploits on the right flank pinning both Nandhakumar Sekar and Narayan Das into their own half.
Lallianzuala Chhangte’s pace was put to the test when an overhit backpass placed Robert Lalthlamuana in a spot of bother in the visitor’s half. The defender managed to get to the ball before the Mizo-born winger and averted a defensive catastrophe against the run of play.
Delhi could have shocked the visitors with a lead when Pritam Kotal rose highest to get a corner-kick delivery but the ball sailed over the bar.
NEUFC finally got their goal through a moment of brilliance from Gallego. The Uruguayan midfielder picked up the ball from the left flank, skipped past his marker, surged into the box before sending a stunning finish into the bottom right corner.
Romeo Fernandes’ poor pass back to Pritam Kotal was intercepted by Gallego who charged down the left flank and squared the ball to Ogbeche. The Nigerian forward sent the ball into the net to complete NEUFC’s masterclass in Delhi.