Alaaeddine Ajaraie scored on both facet of the halves to assist NorthEast United FC prevail over native challenger Shillong Lajong FC 2-1 in a Group-E league encounter of the 134th Durand Cup on the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Friday.
The Moroccan striker, who scored a hat-trick in NorthEast’s 3-1 win towards Malaysian Armed Forces facet in the earlier match, continued his effective type by drawing first blood in the fifth minute.
Playing its closing group league match, Lajong fielded a younger facet with home recruits however fought again effectively to attain the equaliser in the 81st minute via substitute Figo. Ajaraie discovered the winner inside two minutes to have NorthEast tying Lajong on prime of the desk on six factors.
NorthEast, which nonetheless has a match to go, ensured the highest spot on head-to-head file and ensured a quarterfinal berth in the method.
Jamshedpur FC produced a assured show to down 1 Ladakh FC 2-0 in a Group-C match on the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur. This was the third consecutive win for Jamshedpur, which topped the group with an all-win file to safe a quarterfinal berth.
The outcomes: Group-C (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC 2 (Siju 28-og, Praful Kumar 46) bt 1 Ladakh FC 0
Group-E (Shillong): NorthEast United FC 2 (Alaaeddine Ajaraie 5, 83) bt Shillong Lajong FC 1 (Figo 81).
