NorthEast United played out yet another draw at home, this time against neighbours ATK in the match tagged by many as the 'Eastern Derby' of the Indian Super League. The home side looked very dominant in the entire match with lion's share of possession in their favour.
In the early minutes of the game, ATK were put on high alert due to the sharp movements by Gallego, Puitea and Redeem inside their half. However, the ATK troops in the likes of Bikey and Gerson managed to cancel out any worries.
The United midfield put in a hard shift trying to create scoring opportunities pressing higher up the field and pushing ATK on the backfoot. In response, ATK managed to hang on well and cleared their lines without any damage. For the Highlanders, right back Reagan Singh put on a stellar show on the pitch, getting his tackles, blocks and interceptions right. The midfield was well marshalled by Jose David Leudo and Rowlin Borges.
NEUFC will travel to face FC Goa next Friday.
-By Manas P. Kaahyap
