East Bengal came from behind to book their place in the 2023 Durand Cup final after beating NorthEast United on penalties (5-4) as they were tied 2-2 at full-time.
2
A dramatic equalizer forced penalty shootout
The Highlanders had the lead for most of the match before the Red and Golds scored twice. A header from Nandhakumar Sekar forced the penalty shootout.
3
A 19-year wait for Durand Cup final ends
Before this, East Bengal reached the finals of the Durand Cup 26 times, only behind Mohun Bagan (28) in this regard. They have won 16 titles, a joint record with the Mariners.
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Nandhakumar's match-winning goal
In the penalty shootout, Nandhakumar slammed home the winning kick, making it 5-3.
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First Durand Cup semi-final for NorthEast United
This was the first time they entered the Durand Cup knockouts and also reached the semi-finals and went down after fighting valiantly.