Durand Cup: NorthEast United begin title defence with 6-0 win over Bo…

Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 2 (ANI): Defending champions NorthEast United FC began the Guwahati chapter of the 135th Durand Cup in emphatic fashion, registering a commanding 6-0 victory over Bodoland FC in the opening Group F fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Saturday.

Returning talisman Alaaeddine Ajaraie stole the show with a brilliant hat-trick, while Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, Redeem Tlang and Antonio Moyano also found the scoresheet as the Highlanders made the perfect start to their title defence, according to a release.

NorthEast United head coach Juan Pedro Benali lined his side up in a 4-4-2 formation, pairing Ajaraie with Lalrinzuala in attack, while Bodoland FC head coach Vikash Panthi opted for a 4-2-3-1 system with Robinson Blandon Rendon leading the line. mwafrika.life

The Highlanders immediately stamped their authority on the contest, dominating possession and dictating the tempo. Ajaraie looked lively from the outset, creating the first opportunity with a teasing cross from the left that Macarton Louis Nickson controlled before shooting straight at goalkeeper Birkhang Daimary.

NorthEast came close to opening the scoring in the eighth minute when Jithin M.S. made a surging run down the left before cutting the ball back for Lalrinzuala, whose deft flick found Mohammed Arshaf in space. The midfielder, however, blazed his effort over the crossbar from a promising position.

Jithin and Lalrinzuala continued to interchange fluently, stretching the Bodoland backline, although defenders Gaurav Bohara, Urjoy Brahma and Didwm Hazowary stood firm to deny the defending champions an early breakthrough.

Bodoland had their moments as well. Midfielder Rituraj Mohan produced an excellent sliding challenge to stop Ajaraie from cutting inside, while winger Wanshwadame Diengdoh’s effort took a touch off his own teammate before rolling harmlessly wide.

NorthEast continued to pile on the pressure with their high defensive line and sustained spells of possession. Ajaraie twice threatened from free-kicks, first forcing Daimary into spilling the ball before recovering just ahead of Lalrinzuala, and later drawing another impressive save as the goalkeeper punched away a powerful effort destined for the top corner.

Despite their dominance, the Highlanders had to wait until first-half stoppage time to break the deadlock. After Bodoland surrendered possession inside their own half, Ajaraie displayed sublime composure inside the penalty area, cushioning the ball before calmly rolling a left-footed finish beyond the advancing goalkeeper to give his side a deserved lead.

NorthEast went into the interval ahead after controlling 58 per cent of possession while registering nine shots, including five on target, compared to Bodoland’s two attempts, none of which tested Gurmeet Singh.

Bodoland began the second half brightly, winning an early corner and showing greater attacking intent. Substitute Manabir Basumatary impressed with some strong tackles, while Rituraj Mohan and Diengdoh looked to probe the Highlanders’ defence from the right.

However, NorthEast soon regained complete control and doubled their lead in the 58th minute. Mohammed Arshaf threaded an excellent through ball into the path of Jithin on the right, whose low cross into the six-yard box was turned home by Lalrinzuala from close range.

Ajaraie grabbed his second just nine minutes later after Macarton Louis Nickson’s delivery caused confusion inside the Bodoland penalty area. A defensive misjudgement left the ball loose, and the Moroccan forward reacted quickest before delicately lifting his finish over the advancing Daimary to make it 3-0.

The Highlanders continued to attack relentlessly. Substitute Parthib Gogoi came close with a near-post header before another incisive move produced the fourth goal in the 70th minute. Macarton once again turned provider, threading a perfectly weighted pass between the two central defenders for Redeem Tlang, who calmly slotted home his first goal of the tournament.

Bodoland continued to battle despite the scoreline, with experienced defender Shubham Sarangi making several important interventions to disrupt NorthEast attacks in midfield.

Ajaraie completed a memorable hat-trick in the 86th minute with another piece of individual brilliance. Beating two defenders with quick footwork after being released by a defence-splitting pass from deep, he calmly guided a right-footed finish into the far corner to put the result beyond any doubt.

There was still time for one more goal in stoppage time. Ajaraie turned provider with a delightful lofted pass to Parthib Gogoi on the left, and the winger unselfishly squared the ball across goal for substitute Antonio Moyano, who applied the simplest of finishes to complete a resounding 6-0 victory. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Tejaswin Shankar opened up to Boria Majumdar about his podium finish at the Commonwealth Games, winning a decathlon bronze after he was forced to withdraw from the high jump event following a knee flare-up, leaving his participation in the decathlon in doubt.

He spoke about the physical pain and mental challenge of getting himself ready for the decathlon. Despite giving himself only a 1% chance of competing after the injury, he found motivation in Boria’s tweet that he still had a 10% chance.

Boria: That day, at the reception, when the receptionist congratulated you on the medal and you said, “My buddy has won it,” by pointing towards Sarvesh (Kushare), I was there behind you. So, from there to here, it’s unbelievable. Has it sunk in now? If it hasn’t, at least tell me what you went through.

Tejaswin: After the high jump final, I had to pull out because of the flare-up in my knee. I’d just walked down to the lift to get some of my family members up, and I was about to see Dr Pardiwala to get a status update on my knee. There were so many questions and uncertainties, so at that point I just wasn’t expecting any of that. And obviously I saw you there, and Sarvesh was there too, so I wouldn’t say it was an awkward conversation, but that definitely was a moment where it sank in that khatam ho gaya (it’s over), high jump final, and there’s no more high jump for me in this competition. And the next 48 hours were full of ups and downs. And to start on the 30th, again, I just don’t know how I finished the decathlon, let alone won a medal. I don’t know how it happened.

Boria: Give us the lowdown, TJ, because this is an inspirational story.

Tejaswin: If I take you moment by moment, there were a lot of things that happened behind the scenes which obviously no one really knows, but at the same time were very important in me competing. So, after I saw you in the lobby, I went back up and Dr Pardiwala checked my knee. The whole reason for him checking my knee was to make sure it was safe to compete or not. He told me, “The tendon is intact and there’s actually no real injury to it. So even if you compete, there’s not going to be any rupture or risk of that sort. You might be in incredible pain. If you can brave that pain and if the anti-inflammatories work, then you’d be able to compete, but pushing through an element of pain would be the main deal.”

The moment he said there’s no real risk of any significant injury, I decided that I would have to give it a shot. To be honest, I had probably given up mentally. When I woke up, in my mind I had given up 60%, but that’s when I met Sreeshankar Murali, and he was the one guy who advised me to take one event at a time and not think about winning a medal or completing the decathlon. Had anyone else told me this, I probably would have thought they were trying to be nice, but Sree telling me meant something different because he had been through the same injury to a greater magnitude. He also told me, “Once you sit in the starting blocks, things will start happening,” and that’s the only thing that I took from that situation. And from that point on, it was just one event at a time.

And once I got the go-ahead from Dr Pardiwala, Chris, the team physio, was helping me out. Mayur, the other team physio, had strapped me up like a mummy to make sure that I got to the starting line. Also, there was a reason I had put on my sunglasses for the start of the 100m because I was literally tearing up but didn’t want anybody to see that. As luck would have it, I was in the 100m heats with Damian Warner and Lindon Victor, two of the greatest athletes to ever grace the sport of decathlon. And for me to be in that position, it was very overwhelming, in spite of not being at my best physically. So yeah, it was very emotional and took a lot of time to sink in. That’s probably why my 100m race didn’t go well, but at that point for me it was all about the fact that I’d started the decathlon and was taking one event at a time.

Boria: So I have to tell you this. Sreeshankar Murali was with us when you were doing the long jump. He was sitting having his coffee, and he jumped up saying, “7.82.” Each one of us started celebrating impromptu on the Glasgow street. And he said to me, “Sir, if he can do 7.82 in the long jump with this pain, I’m telling you he has a medal.” So, how bad was it?

Tejaswin: Those two events obviously were extremely important for me, and there are all sorts of decathletes. Somebody like Lindon Victor has a really strong discus throw, and everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. I was more worried about the decathlon because my strengths are the high jump and long jump, and those were the events where my knee would be impacted the most. So, for the first jump, I was a bit hesitant, and for that to be a 7.42, the pain, to be honest, was not as much as I expected. I knew at that point that I had one more jump in me. So, I just went for it and after I had landed, I realised that it was a 7.82 jump, which I have never done on a perfectly healthy knee. So to do that with an injured knee was even more special. That just tells me maybe I can get over the 8m barrier one day in the long jump.

Boria: I was told that they had apparently booked a hyperbaric chamber for you. Can you tell us the steps that you had to go through?

Tejaswin: Yeah, this is where I think the magic wand of Wayne Lombard comes into the picture. He is the man behind everything recovery, but I don’t know if a lot of people know that he was also the man behind Vinesh, PV Sindhu and Sreeshankar, always like a pillar standing there trying to make sure that all the athletes are able to do what they do on the field. So he was the one who recommended it, found some clinic online, and we drove 40 minutes just to get there. I said, “How is this going to help my knee recover?” He said it doesn’t matter what happens to the knee, it is just to chase that 1%, and if we add 1, 1, 1, it might not help but it’ll definitely not hurt. I think for me it was more about filling my 48-hour schedule with things consistently so that I didn’t think about the knee or the pain. And they did help take my mind off the fact that I was injured. Recovery, rehab, isometrics, pain medication, taping from the physios — I had something planned every second, and that’s probably what helped me not think about the competition constantly.

Boria: When you woke up on that second day, did you tell yourself that day one is gone, I’ve done the jump, I can now pull this off?

Tejaswin: Physically, yes, because my knee had settled by the morning of day two. But that’s when the decathlon takes its toll because physically you might be 100%, but my weaker events were yet to come, so I still had the discus to go, the pole vault to go, there was rain forecast, and obviously even in the best conditions I am not a very proficient pole vaulter. But I think when it’s meant to be, it just happens. When I look back at those 48 hours, I was in a very deep spiral. I just didn’t know what was going to happen, and I had gone down a rabbit hole. But then, two days later, for me to finish on the podium with a bronze medal, that too alongside Damian Warner and Lindon Victor, one of the greatest decathletes and an Olympic bronze medallist, was the feeling of landing among the stars.

Boria: I had given you a 10% chance in one of my pieces and videos because you weren’t well and were limping in discomfort. So, Birmingham in 2022 to this one, you are God’s child. Clearly good things happen to good people.

Tejaswin: I think so too. There’s something about the UK, there’s something about the Commonwealth Games. I saw that tweet that you put out about the 10% chance. Some people might have got offended because you’re trying to win something and then you have somebody giving you a 10% chance. But because in my mind I had given myself only a 1% chance of starting the decathlon, that 10% was not demotivating and was rather 9% more than what I had given myself. But I think even if there’s a 1% chance in such situations in sport, one should definitely take it. And 10% was a sure-shot decision in my mind.

Boria: Is this going to be your best medal so far?

Tejaswin: I don’t know, it’s definitely up there. But I also think that every competition I go to has a story. Just like 2022 was probably the highlight of my career at that point, this point in 2026 is probably the highlight of this year. And we’re still not through with the year though; we still have the Asian Games.

Boria: Now after this medal, which has been celebrated across the country, will there be a lot of focus on the Asian Games?

Tejaswin: Yeah, I think so. People have been very kind towards me. I’ve been flooded with positive messages and good wishes, even after I got hurt, right through to the point where I won the medal. So I think I’d just like to carry that momentum into the Asian Games. We have about six weeks from this point on. So, I’ll take about a week off, try to recover, and then just start preparing for the Asian Games. We will have about five weeks from that point on, so that’ll be a big competition and obviously I want to give my best there and be ready to represent my country.

Boria: I’ll take you back to the high jump. Mentally one is shattered. How difficult was that?

Tejaswin: To be honest, when I was sitting there, I didn’t really think about the fact that Sarvesh was doing it. Had it not been Sarvesh, I probably would have still sat there and watched the event because that’s probably the best seat in the house, to be honest. It was right next to the pitch. I am definitely a fan of the sport before I am anything else. But I think the one thing in my mind that I always abide by is that whenever you win, you want people to cheer you and clap for you. But if somebody else is winning and you are not there to clap for them, then it just doesn’t work like that. It’s not a one-way street. Cheering for Sarvesh was one of those moments for me. If I was jumping there, I would expect Sarvesh to be there to help me out because we are in this together. Ultimately, we want to win a medal for the country.

Boria: Fantastic. Many congratulations. Very proud. Thank you very much. Thank you.

(Transcribed by Divyasree De.)

The post From Doubt to Decathlon Bronze: Tejaswin Shankar on Murali Sreeshankar’s Advice and Dr Pardiwala’s Go-Ahead appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

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2026 કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં ભારતીય બોક્સરો અને વેઇટલિફ્ટર્સની સફળતા વચ્ચે, એથ્લેટિક્સમાં પણ કેટલાક પ્રભાવશાળી પરિણામો જોવા મળ્યા. સૌથી પ્રભાવશાળી પ્રદર્શન દેશના નંબર વન લાંબા અંતરના દોડવીર ગુલવીર સિંહનું હતું, જેમણે ફક્ત એક નહીં, પરંતુ બે મેડલ જીતીને ઇતિહાસ રચ્યો. ગુલવીરે ગેમ્સમાં પોતાની અંતિમ ઇવેન્ટ, 5000 મીટર દોડમાં પણ બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો, જે આવું કરનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય ખેલાડી બન્યો. ભારતીય સેનાના નાયબ સુબેદાર ગુલવીરે અગાઉ 10,000 મીટર દોડમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ જીત્યો હતો.

દોડમાં તમામ રાષ્ટ્રીય રેકોર્ડ બનાવ્યા

28 વર્ષીય ગુલવીર સિંહ,જેમણે 3000 મીટરથી 25 કિલોમીટર સુધીની લાંબા અંતરની દોડમાં તમામ રાષ્ટ્રીય રેકોર્ડ બનાવ્યા છે, તે આ કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સનું મુખ્ય ધ્યાન કેન્દ્રિત કર્યું હતું. જો કે, તે પછી પણ, કોઈને ખાતરી નહોતી કે તે મેડલ જીતશે, ખાસ કરીને બંને ઇવેન્ટમાં. આ કેન્યા અને નાઇજીરીયા જેવા દેશોની હાજરીને કારણે હતું, જે લાંબા અંતરની દોડમાં સૌથી વધુ સફળ રહ્યા છે. પરંતુ ગુલવીરે ત્રિરંગો લહેરાવ્યા પછી જ શ્વાસ લીધો.

ગુલવીરે અંતિમ સેકન્ડમાં મેડલ જીત્યો.

શનિવાર, 1 ઓગસ્ટના રોજ, ગ્લાસગો ગેમ્સના 10મા દિવસે મોડી સાંજે 5000 મીટર દોડ યોજાઈ. શરૂઆતથી જ, ભારતના ગુલવીરે મજબૂત સ્થાન જાળવી રાખ્યું. તે અંતિમ લેપ સુધી ટોચના પાંચમાં રહ્યો. પછી, અંતિમ લેપ શરૂ થતાં, તે થોડા સમય માટે ચોથા સ્થાનેથી પાંચમા સ્થાને સરકી ગયો. જોકે, મહત્વપૂર્ણ ક્ષણે, તેણે પોતાની ગતિ વધારી અને ઝડપથી ત્રીજા સ્થાને પહોંચી ગયો.

કેન્યાના દોડવીરને 0.04 સેકન્ડથી હરાવ્યો

અંતિમ 200 થી 300 મીટરમાં, કેન્યાના કોર્નેલિયસ કેમ્બોઈએ તેને પાછળ છોડી દેવાનો ખૂબ પ્રયાસ કર્યો, પરંતુ ગુલવીરે મજબૂતી જાળવી રાખી અને અંતે 13:24.95 મિનિટમાં પૂર્ણ કરીને બ્રોન્ઝ મેડલ જીત્યો. તેણે કેન્યાના દોડવીરને 0.04 સેકન્ડથી હરાવ્યો. કેન્યાના મેથ્યુ કિપ્સાંગ (13:23.61) એ આ ઇવેન્ટમાં ગોલ્ડ મેડલ જીત્યો, જ્યારે ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાના કે રોબિન્સન (13:24.70) એ સિલ્વર જીત્યો.

આ સીમાચિહ્ન સુધી પહોંચનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય

આ સાથે, ગુલવીર સિંહ 5000 મીટરમાં કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય ખેલાડી બન્યા. વધુમાં, તે એક જ કોમનવેલ્થ ગેમ્સમાં બે અલગ-અલગ એથ્લેટિક્સ મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય પણ બન્યો. આ સફળ દોડના માત્ર ચાર દિવસ પહેલા, તેણે 10,000 મીટરમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ પણ જીત્યો હતો, જેનાથી તે આ મેડલ જીતનાર પ્રથમ ભારતીય બન્યો હતો. ત્યાં પણ, ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાના રોબિન્સને તેને હરાવીને ગોલ્ડ જીત્યો.

આ પણ વાંચો - CWG 2026: નરેન્દ્ર બરવાલે પુરુષોની 90+ કિગ્રા ફાઈનલમાં સિલ્વર મેડલ જીત્યો

There are moments in sport that statistics can never truly capture.

You can record seven gold medals. You can write down names, weight categories and victory margins. You can count India’s medals and celebrate another successful day at the Commonwealth Games.

But no number can explain what it feels like when the National Anthem begins to play and the Tricolour slowly starts its journey towards the top of the podium.

On Saturday inside Glasgow’s SEC Boxing Arena, that feeling arrived not once, not twice, but seven times.

Every time an Indian boxer climbed onto the highest step, the familiar opening notes of Jana Gana Mana echoed through the arena. Conversations stopped. Camera shutters slowed. Even those busy rushing between interviews or filing reports instinctively looked towards the flag.

For those few minutes, nothing else mattered.

There were athletes who had spent years preparing for those precious moments. There were coaches whose sacrifices would never appear on television. There were administrators who had worked quietly behind the scenes. There were Indian supporters who had travelled thousands of kilometres simply to cheer.

And then there were journalists.

People often forget that covering an international event is also a journey of sacrifice. The workdays stretch to 17 or 18 hours. Sleep becomes a luxury. Home feels unimaginably far away. Familiar food is replaced by whatever is available between events. Every morning begins with schedules and deadlines, and every night ends long after the competitions have finished.

Yet nobody complains when that anthem begins. Because in that instant, everyone inside the arena is reminded why they came.

The boxer represents India with punches. The journalist represents India by telling its stories with honesty and passion. The official represents India through an organisation. The supporter represents India with their voice.

Different roles. Different responsibilities. One identity.

As the Tricolour climbed above the other flags, something remarkable happened inside the boxing arena. The invisible walls separating athletes from reporters, officials from supporters, accreditation holders from ticket holders simply disappeared.

Everyone stood together. There were smiles that could not be hidden. There were eyes that quietly filled with tears. There were goosebumps that arrived without an invitation. There was pride that needed no words.

Perhaps that is the magic of the National Anthem. It reminds you that before every profession, designation or title, you belong to a country.

Watching the Indian flag rise higher than the others never becomes routine. If anything, it becomes more emotional with every passing year. It carries the dreams of millions back home and the sacrifices of those standing thousands of kilometres away from their families. That is why sport occupies a place far beyond entertainment. It is one of a nation’s greatest forms of soft power.

A gold medal does not simply change a medal table. It tells the world a story. It shapes perceptions. It inspires children who may never have watched boxing before. It creates conversations across cultures without requiring a single translated word.

Flags and anthems speak a language everyone understands. Seven times on Saturday, India spoke that language. Seven times the Tricolour reached the highest point inside the SEC Boxing Arena.

Seven times Jana Gana Mana reminded everyone present that victory is measured not only in medals, but also in the emotions that accompany them. Long after the lights inside the arena are switched off and the medal tables are forgotten, those moments will remain. Because some victories stay in record books. Others stay in your heart.

The post When Tricolour Rose Seven Times: Inside the Emotional Moments That Made Glasgow’s Boxing Arena Feel Like Home appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.