NorthEast United FC marched into the semifinals of the 134th Durand Cup with a dominant 4–0 victory over Bodoland FC at the SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar on Saturday.
Moroccan forward Alaaeddine Ajaraie once again proved the difference with a brace (29’, 61’), while Andy Rodriguez (53’) netted his maiden goal for the club and Parthib Gogoi (90+2’) struck in stoppage time to seal a commanding win for Juan Pedro Benali’s side.
The result puts the Highlanders into the semifinals of Asia’s oldest football tournament for the third straight season. They will now face Shillong Lajong FC on Aug. 19 at JN Stadium, Shillong. Earlier in the day, Shillong Lajong edged past Indian Navy 2–1 in quarterfinal 1. The clash will be a repeat of last year’s semifinal, which NorthEast United won 3–0 en route to their maiden Durand Cup title. The two sides also met in the group stage this year, with the Highlanders winning 2–0.
Benali’s men, familiar with the SAI turf from last season, looked sharp from the outset. Rodriguez nearly opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a curling free kick that was palmed away by the Bodoland goalkeeper.
The breakthrough came in the 29th minute after Bodoland gave away possession deep inside their half. Jithin MS pounced, dribbled past defenders, and squared it for Ajaraie, who calmly slotted home his sixth goal of the season.
The Highlanders doubled their lead soon after the break. Spanish defender Zabaco released Buanthanglun Samte on the left, whose cutback found Rodriguez arriving late at the edge of the box. The Spaniard made no mistake, netting his first for the club.
Minutes later, substitute Thoi Singh’s bursting run down the right created the third. His low cross found Ajaraie, who coolly rounded the keeper and a defender before finishing, his seventh of the tournament, that keeps him ahead in the Golden Boot race.
In stoppage time, Jairo and Parthib Gogoi combined for the fourth. Jairo slipped a clever pass past the defence, and Gogoi, 22, made amends for an earlier miss with a neat finish — his first of the season.
With momentum and history in their favour, the Highlanders will now head to Shillong for another semifinal showdown against old rivals Shillong Lajong.
