Nagpur: “Durand Cup title win is in the past now. I am concentrating on the Indian Super League (ISL),” said Asheer Akhtar, the star defender of North East United that won the oldest football tournament of Asia a fortnight ago.
Asheer, the talismanic footballer from Kamptee, has put the glory days behind and is now determined to take his side to much greater heights in Indian football. North East United stunned all by clinching their maiden Durand Cup title defeating football giants Mohun Bagan in their own den in Kolkata late last month. Asheer was part of that history making NE United team which came from a two -goal deficit to score two in three minutes of the second half and take the match into shoot-out where they emerged winners with a 3-2 verdict.
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Monday 07 Oct. 2024
“It was a dream match. We came back strongly. We played as a unit and supported each other till the final whistle,” recalled Asheer while talking with a local newspaper on Friday. “But that’s past now. We celebrated the win and enjoyed it a lot. Now, the expectations are high. We have moved forward and are looking for a much better show in the Indian Super League,” Asheer said.
The icing on the cake was celebrating with team owner and Bollywood star John Abraham. “It was unbelievable. He (John Abraham) is the sole owner of our team and takes all decisions. But at the same time he is a very down to earth person despite being such a big celebrity. He treated us like a family and always backed us. After the final, he was elated and celebrated with the whole team. It was a huge moment for him as well because after 10 years his team has won a trophy,” added Asheer, son of Mehfooz Akhtar, a former Police goalkeeper.
