NorthEast United FC notched a tight 3-2 victory over East Bengal FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati in their Indian Super League match on Saturday.
The home side seemed eager to stamp their authority in the proceedings early on, especially to respond to the 5-0 drubbing they had faced at the Salt Lake against the Red & Gold Brigade in the reverse fixture in December.
Spanish attacking talisman Nestor Albiach was at the forefront of it, setting up the opening strike by Tomi Juric in the fourth minute before netting the second one 15 minutes into the match.
Nestor was played on by a teammate on the left flank and played a perfect low cross to Juric who tapped into an unguarded net.
The hosts broke down the East Bengal defence in the 15th minute with Redeem Tlang playing in a low cross that Nestor got onto the end of after shoving away his marker. The Spaniard got a foot on the ball to roll it past the keeper and into the net.
The visitors came out stronger in the second half and Nandhakumar Sekar got on the scoresheet in the 53rd minute. His shot from close range was straight at the goalkeeper Mirshad Michu, who should have done better to make the save. The shot however struck Michu before going into the net.
Juric, in the 66th minute, controlled a lob on the left flank before making space and unleashing a long range effort that settled into the goal to restore a two-goal cushion for the hosts.
But the match was headed for a nervy finish after Felicio Brown Forbes headed in a rebound from close range. Eventually, East Bengal fell short as NorthEast United climbed to sixth in the table.