SHILLONG: With the expectation almost palpable, a 20,000-plus strong crowd witnessed an exciting 1-1 draw between Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC in the maiden Shillong I-League derby at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Friday evening.
The two teams had a huge amount to prove in front of their fans with much to play for on either side, but ultimately had to share honours.
The newbies took the lead with Yohei Iwasaki heading the ball in for Rangdajied in the 19th minute and Lajong had to wait until the 73rd minute for Boithang Haokip to equalise via a beautiful shot from the left flank.
RUFC coach Santosh Kashyap fielded four of his club’s new signings from IMG-R – Gouramangi Singh, Tomba Singh, Manandeep Singh and Subrata Paul, the latter as goalkeeper – but the Blues were still left chasing their first victory in the I-League.
Despite the brave faces of the two coaches following the match, the two teams have a lot to think about.
Rangdajied have now played nine matches, five of which have been held in Shillong, but have only earned four out of a possible 15 points.
Four defeats outside their home city leave them with just four points, which puts them in penultimate place in the points table, which could change on Saturday if bottom-placed Churchill Brothers win or draw at Mohammedan Sporting.
Lajong, on the other hand, while neatly positioned in fifth place, have played eight of their 10 games so far at home but have only garnered eight out of a possible 24 points.
The Reds would be in a worse position had it not been for their two impressive away victories.
Nevertheless, SLFC have extended their unbeaten streak to six games, while Rangdajied have improved, according to Kashyap, who said at the post-match press conference that a victory is in the offing.
In the derby, both teams shared possession fairly evenly in the first half, but the Blues were able to seize the lead.
Shillong Lajong did create openings but were stifled throughout the first 45 minutes, sometimes through their own mistakes.
Their best opportunity came in the 30th minute when Uilliams Souza Silva sprinted up the middle of the pitch with the ball.
Cornell Glen was open and had the ball fed to him, but the Trinidadian could not get a proper touch as it sped past him.
Lajong came out in the second half as the more attacking team, continually applying pressure in the Rangdajied half.
The defenders in blue were given a torrid time but stood up well to the pressing attacks.
Subrata was also excellent under the bar, making several saves in both sessions and he was one of the players Kashyap singled for his fine performance.
This fixture had been billed as a not-to-miss encounter and both sides performed admirably with football and Shillong the winners.
The match was especially significant for RUFC skipper Eugeneson Lyngdoh – an ex-Lajong player – who was substituted at around 70 minutes after not having the best of matches, though he is returning from a knee injury.
With less than 20 minutes left on the clock, Rangdajied’s fears were realised when Boithang snatched the equaliser with a gem of a goal.
Outside the box on the left, he curled in a ball that Subrata had no answer to.
From then on the cheers for “Lajong” drowned out those in favour of the opposition, but both groups of supporters had to leave the stadium with each side splitting points.
Both teams will play their next matches away – Rangdajied against Mumbai on November 27 and Lajong at Bengaluru on December 1
I-League 2013-14
Team P W L D GF GA Pts
Salgaocar 9 5 1 3 17 9 18
Pune FC 8 5 1 2 9 4 17
Bengaluru FC 8 4 2 2 12 8 14
Sporting Clube de Goa 8 4 2 2 12 9 14
Shillong Lajong FC 10 3 2 5 13 13 14
United SC 8 3 2 3 10 8 12
Mohammedan Sporting 8 3 4 1 10 11 10
Mohun Bagan 8 2 2 4 6 7 10
Dempo SC 8 2 2 4 9 11 10
East Bengal 5 2 2 1 10 7 7
Mumbai FC 9 1 4 4 10 13 7
Rangdajied United FC 9 0 5 4 6 18 4
Churchill Brothers 8 0 5 3 5 11 3