NorthEast United and East Bengal are playing one other for the first time in the Durand Cup
We are now in the final stages of the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup, and on Tuesday, 29 August 2023, the prestigious Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) pitch will play host to the first semi-final between a fiery home team, the Red & Golds of Emami East Bengal (EEB), and a tenacious NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) side. At 6:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST), the game begins.
This semi-final isn’t just another game, Coach Benali said in pre-game remarks, expressing his awareness of the gravity of the situation. In front of their supporters, we are competing against the home team in Kolkata. Additionally, East Bengal is a squad with excellent players at every position as well as on the bench. We’re here to stand in for our area and defend our citizens. We want to make our supporters happy because they have faith in us. We’ll give it our all as a team and make history together.
The Highlanders may hold a head-to-head advantage against the century-old club, but they will undoubtedly need to make history if they want to defeat the 16-time Durand champions in front of their home crowd.
And it’s not like EEB won the IndianOil Durand Cup this year without any mistakes. The fact that EEB scored six goals and conceded three at the back while they themselves scored 10 goals and allowed the same amount of goals will give NEUFC supporters hope.
However, as evidenced by their decisive quarterfinal victory over former champions Gokulam, EEB appears to be doing well under pressure. And since taking over this season, their Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat has performed flawlessly.
Cuadrat stated in his remarks the day before the major game, “We are in the semi-finals after playing out a difficult quarter-final against Gokulam, being as pragmatist and respectful of opponents as ever. In this competition, NorthEast United has yet to lose. They are a very competitive opponent since they have an excellent balance of youth and experience. It will undoubtedly be a difficult game, but our players are adept at playing their specific responsibilities. We are moving in the correct direction as a team.
