By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A lacklustre Shillong Lajong FC were lucky to earn a point after their home tie against Pune FC ended in a 1-1 draw at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
The hosts drew first blood in the 52nd minute when Seikhohau Tuboi netted one. But Pune rallied back to strike in the 72nd minute thanks to another penalty conceded by Lajong after a terrible handball by central defender C Lallawmzuala.
Expectations were high after the hosts’ inspiring performance against leaders Dempo in the last match which they lost 1-2. But Lajong’s performance against the Pune side in the Round 17 I-League match was below average and disappointed the thousands of fans who came out in support of the team.
The main factor which contributed to this dismal show was the inconsistent passing and ‘an air of complacency’ among the Lajong players. Another big let-down was the performance of the defenders who were exposed by the accuracy and pace of the opponents.
In fact, Lajong could have lost the match by a big margin if Pune FC had the strikers at its disposal to capitalize on the number of scoring opportunities they were presented with through the match.
Earlier, the first half was a dull affair with neither of the teams playing to their potential even as the visitors created some scoring opportunities.
The first real opening of the match came in the 17th minute after Pune FC’s Douhou Pierre’s powerful strike from outside the box was brilliantly saved by Lajong custodian Lalthuamawia Ralte. But it was in the 33rd minute that the visitors almost went ahead after Gurjinder Kumar’s header hit the goal post.
Following this missed opportunity, Pune strikers continued to put pressure on the Lajong defence through their accurate passing.
Crossing over Lajong showed drastic improvement following the introduction of their newly signed India striker Sushil Kumar Singh. In fact, it was Sushil’s sheer magic which helped the hosts go into the lead in the 52nd minute after he made a great pass in the right flank to Eugeneson Lyngdoh who tapped the ball only to see the Pune FC custodian fumble it out to Seikhohau Tuboi who made no mistake to net the ball.
But sadly Lajong acceded the lead 20 minutes later when Pune were awarded a penalty following a handball by central defender C Lallawmzuala.
Pune FC skipper Mandjou Keita converted from the spot to level the match. It was at this point that both the teams lost their goalkeepers to injuries and had to bank on their reserves.
Despite, six minutes of added time the match ended in a draw with Pune FC still placed seventh with 28 points while Lajong are placed tenth with 18 points from 17 matches.