NorthEast United FC defeated FC1 3-1 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday to close out Group F of the 135th Durand Cup with a perfect record of three wins from three matches. Parthib Gogoi scored twice, either side of half-time, before Alaaeddine Ajaraie added a third, with Mohmad Ilyas grabbing a consolation for FC1. The result confirms NorthEast United as group winners on nine points and sends them through to the quarterfinals, while FC1, competing in their debut Durand Cup campaign as representatives of Jammu and Kashmir, exit with three points from their three group matches.
Guwahati, Assam: There is a particular satisfaction in finishing what you started, and NorthEast United did exactly that on Tuesday in Guwahati. Nine points from nine, no margin for ambiguity, no dropped moments to explain away. For FC1, meanwhile, the tournament’s final act carried a different weight entirely: a first Durand Cup campaign that ends not with heartbreak, but with the quieter dignity of a team that competed and departed with something to show for it.
Gogoi’s brace sets the tone
NorthEast United’s supporters at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium didn’t have to wait long for reward. Parthib Gogoi struck once in each half, a contribution that did more than settle the contest — it underlined his growing importance to a side that has now made a habit of winning. Two goals, split across 90 minutes, speaks to a player comfortable carrying responsibility rather than simply capitalising on chance.
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Ajaraie’s involvement added further weight to the victory. The Moroccan striker’s goal gave NorthEast United a third, cushioning the lead and ensuring FC1’s reply through Mohmad Ilyas amounted to little more than a footnote on the scoreline. By the final whistle, the result had long since stopped being in doubt.
A perfect record, and what it means
NorthEast United FC finished the group stage with nine points from three wins, topping Group F without so much as a draw to blemish the record. In a tournament format where group standings determine qualification, that kind of consistency carries real value heading into the knockout rounds. There is no ambiguity in nine points from nine — it is the strongest possible statement a side can make before the competition proper begins.
FC1’s tournament, by contrast, closes on modest terms. Three points from three matches is not the return Jammu and Kashmir’s inaugural Durand Cup representatives would have wanted, but a debut campaign is rarely judged solely on results. Mohmad Ilyas’s goal against NorthEast United, arriving in a match already beyond reach, at least offered something to build from as the side reflects on its first outing in the tournament.
Elsewhere in the groups
Group F’s second qualification spot remains unresolved. Bodoland FC and Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC meet on Thursday, with that fixture now the sole determinant of who joins NorthEast United in the knockout stage. Both sides will know precisely what is required, with nothing left to chance elsewhere in the group.
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In Group E, the day’s other major result arrived at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, where Nongkseh Sports and Social Club defeated Mumbay FC 7-0. Hardycliff Nongbri and Dawancha Carlos Challam each scored twice, with Kitboklang Pale, Chesterpoul Lyngdoh and Sheen Stevenson adding one apiece. The margin was emphatic enough to move Nongkseh into second place in Group E on four points, while Mumbay FC’s campaign ends without a single point to their name.
What comes next
NorthEast United now turn their attention to the quarterfinals, arriving with a perfect group-stage record and the momentum that comes with it. For now, the perfect record stands as the headline achievement of Group F, and NorthEast United’s task in the knockout rounds will be to prove it was no false measure of their season so far.
