SCOREBOX
NorthEast Utd 2 (Alaaeddine Ajaraie 18', Miguel Zabaco 40')
Inter Kashi 2 (Harmanpreet Singh 5', Karthik Panicker 74')
---
PANAJI
Inter Kashi FC began their Super Cup 2025-26 campaign with a spirited 2-2 draw against NorthEast United FC in a rain-marred Group B encounter at the Bambolim Athletic Stadium on Sunday.
Despite fielding five foreign players, Durand Cup champions NorthEast United were given a real scare by I-League winners Inter Kashi, who showed remarkable grit and organisation under testing conditions.
Inter Kashi, playing without their foreign recruits and head coach Antonio Habas, stunned the Highlanders as early as the 5th minute. Harmanpreet Singh capitalised on a defensive lapse to tap in a high cross and slot home a neat finish past the NorthEast goalkeeper.
The early goal spurred NorthEast into action, and they dominated possession thereafter. They came close twice in quick succession, in the 8th minute when Alaaeddine Ajaraie’s effort was parried away by Inter Kashi’s alert goalkeeper Shubham Das, and again in the 13th minute when Ajaraie’s free-kick from outside the box was superbly saved. Their persistence paid off in the 18th minute when Ajaraie finally found the far corner from inside the box to make it 1-1.
Inter Kashi nearly restored their lead in the 37th minute, but Karthik Panicker missed a golden opportunity. NorthEast hit back immediately, and in the 40th minute, captain Miguel Tome rose high to head in Andres Jose’s corner, putting his side ahead 2-1 going into the break.
After the restart, NorthEast United continued to enjoy more possession, but their inability to convert chances cost them dearly. In the 74th minute, an unmarked Karthik Panicker redeemed his earlier miss, coolly slotting home to draw level at 2-2, much to the delight of the Inter Kashi bench.
The Highlanders will rue the ball possession and opportunities they squandered, while Inter Kashi can take immense pride in earning a point against a full-strength top-tier side, especially considering their all-Indian lineup, lack of match practice over the past six months, and absence of their foreign contingent.
