Historic win for NEUFC, Highlanders beat Bengaluru FC by 2-1 in first leg of semi-finals at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati

Guwahati: For the first time ever Bollywood superstar John Abraham's owned NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) defeated the Bengaluru FC here in Guwahati in the first leg of semi-finals of Hero ISL Football Tournament, 2018-19 on Thursday.

Striker Juan Mascia for NEUFC slotted the ball inside the top corner from the penalty spot to give NorthEast a 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC right in the stoppage time.

The Highlanders earlier produced a superb first half of attacking the football and took the lead when Redeem Tlang found the net with a spectacular, curling effort in the 20th minute of the match.

It may be mentioned that the Highlanders had managed to secure the berth in the play-offs for the first time after the team finished fourth, just two points above Jamshedpur FC. For five years, NEUFC struggled to break into the top four.

Despite sharing equal points and the same number of wins with FC Goa, Bengaluru FC was placed the top of the table thanks to a better head-to-head record.

It may also be mentioned that Xisco Hernandez scored one goal for Bengaluru FC at the 82th minute of the ISL match today.