NorthEast United emerged victors in a feisty battle where the proceedings were dour till the half-way point. Romaric’s stunning free-kick nine minutes from time helped United beat FC Pune City 1-0 and move one spot upwards to sixth in the table. The Highlanders’ win throws the top four battle wide open for all sides with three rounds of games to go.

It took an entire hour for the game to open up, till which point, it had been a dreary battle which had plenty of stoppages and just one shot. Pune looked more like the team that they have been for much of the season, struggling to create clear-cut attacks.

Antonio Habas’ defence and midfield held their shape well for much of the game, and and didn’t allow Emiliano Alfaro and co. to make too many inroads in the box. The United striker was, however, a threat when he drifted to the wide areas. Pune had their pace outlet cut out as Momar Ndoye limped off after suffering an injury in the first half.

After the hour mark, there was a sudden shift in the intensity of the contest. With players tiring out, the wingers from both sides showed adventure going forward. United had Pune pinned in their own box but couldn’t find a way through on goal.

From a quick-fire counterattack, the away side almost took the lead with Lenny Rodrigues’ shot clipping the post. United were undeterred and continued to pour men forward with gumption but their tries were limited to harmless shots from distance. There were a couple of occasions where United keeper Subrata Paul too, had to show a safe pair of hands.

It was a clear case of the team scoring the first goal deciding the fate of the contest. With less than 10 minutes on the clock, Romaric came up with a terrific free-kick, leaving Edel Bete no chance with his left-footed shot, comfortably beating the goalkeeper’s despairing dive to his right.

Brief scores

NorthEast United 1 (Romaric) beat FC Pune City 0