Shillong Nov 01: The Shillong Lajong was handed their first defeat in the Hero I-League 2018/19 by Kolkata giants Quess East Bengal FC as the visitors won by 1-3. The match was held at the JN Stadium in Shillong at 2 PM.
Jobby Justin scored two goals in the first half for the visitors before Rakesh Pradhan got one back for the home side. Minutes later, Bidyashagar Singh scored the third goal for the visitors making the final score 1-3.
The Reds started the match with the same eleven who featured in the game against Aizawl FC. The young boys started the game with a positive intent and dominated the gameplay with plenty of ball possession and had the first chance of the game in the 5th minute of the game.
Phrangki Buam was fouled near the opposition’s box and captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia stepped up to take the free-kick only to get denied by the woodwork. Lajong then had a couple of corners in quick succession but failed to take advantage of the set pieces.
The first goal of the game came in the 12th minute when East Bengal’s Jobby Justin headed in from a free-kick by Lalrindika Ralte when it was all Lajong dictating the gameplay. Lajong kept pressing looking for an equaliser but failed to convert the chances created up front. Young Samuel Kynshi and Phrangki had tried their luck from distance but failed to beat the opposition goalkeeper.
Despite having created plenty of chances Lajong failed to bring it to level terms whereas the visitors managed to double their lead in the 42nd minute from a defensive error inside Lajong’s box. Jobby Justin again found the back of the net, this time with a perfectly timed volley from a poorly timed Lajong clearance. The rest of the half did not see much of an action and the first 45 minutes ended in the visitor’s favour with them leading 0-2.
Coach Alison’s half time talk did have an effect as the boys were putting in extra efforts in search of a goal and the first chance came in the first minute itself. Samuela was brought down just outside the box and the referee awarded a free-kick to The Reds. Our captain as always had his shot on target but failed to beat the goalkeeper who punched the shot away. The rebound fell perfectly for Samuel Kynshi, but his shot didn’t trouble the East Bengal defence.
Lajong then had a few more chances in the following minutes but Phrangki and Samuela failed to find the target. The Reds made their first substitution in the 65th minute as Sheen was introduced in place of Mahesh and were able to put more pressure in East Bengal’s defence.
With all the pressure building Lajong finally managed to pull one back in the 71st minute. Samuela stepped up to take a corner from the right flank and found Rakesh Pradhan at the end of his in-swinging delivery; Rakesh leaped over everyone and glanced his header past the goalkeeper to make it 1-2.
As The Reds tried to settle in after scoring a goal, a defensive mistake let East Bengal’s Bidyashagar one on one with Neitho who made it 1-3 for the visitors in the 73rd minute. Being down by two goals, the young Reds did not give up and kept pressing for goals.
In the remaining minutes of the game Lajong’s only chance came in the 85th minute when Rakesh’s long ranger was just clipped over by the opposition keeper. In the corner that followed, despite having a shot on open goal Samuel Kynshi failed to connect and get one back for the home side.
After the end of regulation time, the referee added on 4 minutes, but the hosts failed to make a comeback and the match ended 1-3 in the visitor’s favour. Lajong will now travel to Cuttack to take on Indian Arrows on 5th of November. The match will kick off at 5 PM at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
