Robert Jarni mutually terminated his contract with NorthEast United after going 11 matches without a win. Khalid Jamil took over as the interim head coach but he also failed to steer the Highlanders back to winning ways as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Odisha. They were outplayed in the second half and when asked if Jarni's departure had affected the team's morale, Jamil replied," Yes, maybe."
Elaborating on the defeat he said, "We played well in the first half. We scored an early goal. But we did not carry that forward in the second half and we conceded early.