ISL: North East snatch full points with a last-minute goal against Gaurs

A goal by Khassa Camara in the last minute gave North East a 2-1 win against FC Goa on Saturday in the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

It was a relief for Khalid Jamil to see the Highlanders close out a rather inconsistent evening, leaving the Gaurs at the bottom of the table still searching for their first point.

The Highlanders scored their first goal through Rochharzela (10'), but Alexander Romario Jesuraj (1') equalized minutes later. Captain Edu Bedia was withdrawn to make room for former Highlander Dylan Fox. The Mizoram-born winger, who started for the first time this season, capitalized on the absence of the FC Goa defense at the beginning of the match.

Mathias Coureur won the ball from the left, unable to be intercepted by Fox. A through ball played to Rochharzela saw him clear, and he went into the box to make their goal. Nevertheless, the shot deflected off the upright. Almost immediately, however, Jorge Ortiz ran close to the byline and played the ball to Jesuraj, who flipped it back. The ball was played back into space from the other end by Noguera, and Jesuraj took advantage of the space to score to level the game.

Glan Martins missed a couple of long-range shots, and the Gaurs looked dominant after their goal. The Gaurs had multiple chances, none of which they took advantage of. North East nearly went in front just before the break when Lalkhawpuimawia, who beat Dheeraj, managed to get a header off before it missed the target.

.@Hernan_90 with another Hero of the Match performance after helping @NEUtdFC get 3 points against the Gaurs! 👏🏻#NEUFCG #HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/HSP9zWQFkq

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 4, 2021

After Juan Ferrando brought on Devendra Murgaonkar, it was Coureur who nearly disrupted the scoring. The Martinican took a half volley from outside the box and was denied by the post with an hour remaining in the game.

It seemed like the Guwahati-based side was heading for points shared with the Gaurs despite the introduction of Deshorn Brown. It was the late heroics of Khassa Camara (90+4') that sealed the match for NorthEast. A brilliant long-range strike by Camara found the left corner of the target, giving the Highlanders an all-important lead.