Guwahati: The Shillong Lajong Football Club will welcome the NorthEast United Football Club (NEUFC) to Meghalaya’s capital Shillong as both the teams will fight out in a ‘NorthEast Derby’ for a place in the finals of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup.
They will face each other at the semi-final which will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, often referred to as the “Scotland of the East”.
The match, which was originally scheduled to take place in West Bengal’s Kolkata, was rescheduled to Shillong at the request of the supporters.
Earlier, the NEUFC overcame a valiant Indian Army side in the quarterfinals 2-0 at Assam’s Kokrajhar, while Shillong Lajong FC stunned Kolkata giants Emami East Bengal in front of their home crowd 2-1 to book their places in the first semi-finals.
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The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has been packed to the brim for all the matches during the tournament and the semi-finals on Monday (August 26) is also likely to be played in front of a packed stadium with fans of both sides supporting their teams.
Shillong Lajong FC have been playing some excellent football throughout the tournament topping their group and then dumping out East Bengal in the quarterfinals, playing some tactically brilliant football.
They defended well and then troubled East Bengal in counterattacks. The productivity from set pieces for the local side has been brilliant as captain Hardy Nongbri’s deliveries have troubled the opposition’s differences.
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Marcos Rudwere Silva has been scoring goals while Phrangki Buam and Everbrightson Sana have been impressive in attack. The defence, led by Brazilian Daniel Goncalves, has been solid, letting in just two goals in the tournament.
Speaking ahead of the match, Shillong Lajong FC head coach Jose Hevia said, “Monday’s semi-final is a huge match for the team, the fans of the side and everyone in Meghalaya. We are well prepared for the match and we will be playing to our full capability against a very strong opposition.”
“We are excited for the match and we will be playing our style of football in front of our fans. The NEUFC is a good team and we will have an exciting match against them,” Shillong Lajong captain Harry Nongbri said.
On the other hand, the NEUFC have been brilliant in attack scoring 10 goals in the group stages. Jithin MS, Guillermo Fernandez and Nestor Albiach have been combining well in attack with the able support of Moroccan midfielder Mohammed Ali Bemmamer.
Spaniards Guillermo Fernandez and Nestor Albiach scored the match winners in the quarterfinals. The defence of the Highlanders has also been stingy letting in just a solitary goal in the tournament.
“It is going to be a great experience for us to be playing the semi-finals of such a great tournament in front of our fans in a packed stadium,” said NEUFC head coach Juan Pedro Benali ahead of the match.
When asked about the pressure of playing in front of the opposition’s crowd, Benali said, “Actually on the contrary, we love to play in front of such packed stadiums. It helps the players to lift their spirits and play freely to get a positive result from the game.”