India, NorthEast United share spoils in preparatory friendly

Sandesh Jhingan was substituted with an injury for the Blue Tigers in the first half.

India Vs NorthEast United was a much-anticipated clash. In the event, the Indian football team and Indian Super league club NorthEast United FC played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly match at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. The game was held in preparation for the Blue Tigers' crucial FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh on 15th October.

The match was an open door event and fans turned out in huge numbers to watch their local club play against the national team. The game was played out in a typical friendly attitude, which could be depicted from the fact that not a single card was shown throughout the whole match.

India started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Chettri and Udanta starting on the wings. NorthEast United fans got a glimpse of new signing Asamoah Gyan, who was supported by another new recruit in Martin Chaves.

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India were the first to register in the scoresheet in the 38th minute, through talisman Sunil Chhetri. NorthEast committed way too many players forward for a corner and the lack of players tracking back on the Indian counter led to Chettri finishing off an easy counter.

NorthEast United lineup Vs India

However, NorthEast didn't take long to equalize. A weak Gurpreet Singh Sandhu clearance fell right to Jose Leudo, who passed it to Gyan with his first touch. The Ghanaian slid it home to make it 1-1 in the the 45th minute, just before half-time.contrast

The second half was lackluster to say the least, as almost all the big names from both the teams were substituted off. NorthEast United would be taking more positives away from the game, as all of their new signings looked very lively. In contrast, India's attack again looked over-reliant on Chettri, as they failed to make any clear chances throughout the game.

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The highlight of the match, though, remains Sandesh Jhinghan's injury early in the first half, that saw him immediately substituted. We await more updates regarding his injury as India's World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh gets closer.

India XI: Gurpreet, Adil,  Jhingan, Anas, Sahal, Vinit, Raynier, Chhetri, Udanta, Ashique, Manvir. NorthEast United XI: Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Heerings, Leudo, Kadam, Gyan, Pradhan, Chaves, Triadis, Khawlring, Vaz, Reagan.