By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Sporting Clube De Goa came back from a goal behind to register their first victory in this season’s I-League by defeating Shillong Lajong FC in the latter’s home ground 2-1 in a match played at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Sunday.
With this victory, the Goan side maintained their unbeaten record against Shillong Lajong, having won both matches against the Reds last season.
Sporting scored their two goals in the second half after they were trailing by a goal at the end of the first 45 minutes.
The goal-scorers for Sporting were Kalu Ogba and Dawson Fernandez, while the only goal for Shillong Lajong was scored by Friday Gbeneme.
The home team were lacking the flair and temperament that was in evidence during their earlier matches against Mohun Bagan and Salgoacar.
Despite a dull start to the contest, Lajong did manage to have control of the game in terms of ball possession.
The home side managed to penetrate the Sporting defence on several occasions but failed to create real opportunities.
On the other hand, the Goan side – who were missing several key players – were more watchful as they were trying to adjust to the pace and bounce of the turf.
The best opportunity for the home team came in the 25th minute after striker Sushil Kumar Singh lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper but failed to finish the job and put it over the goal line.
SLFC finally went into the lead in the 45th minute after skipper Renedy Singh made a great cross towards Gbeneme, who made no mistake to head the ball into the net.
Having conceded the first goal of the match, the visitors came out strongly in the second half.
The Goan side equalised in the 53rd minute after Ogba scored through a free kick taken by Freiman Peixoto.
Two minutes later, Gbeneme nearly gave Lajong the lead again after he made a great run into the opposition’s penalty area after beating three defenders, but his shot missed by a whisker.
Sporting went into the lead after Fernandez scored a stunning goal following a major SLFC defensive lapse in the 73rd minute.
The home side pushed hard to get the equaliser in the closing stages of the match, but they were denied due to some brilliant defending from Sporting.
During the post match conference, the visitors’ coach, Soibam Ikendra Singh, said he was very satisfied with the result.
“We have not had a good start in this season. We managed to get only a point from the two matches we played. This victory will definitely boost the moral of the team,” Singh said.
When asked about delay tactics employed by his players, which left the home fans disappointed, Singh said unapologetically, “This is part and parcel of the game.”
Meanwhile, SLFC coach Desmond Bulpin said that he was disappointed by the result and his team should have at least secured a draw.
“The players looked unprepared for this match,” he said.
“They were taking things lightly playing against a weaker opponent. I have always said I would not tolerate this kind of mindset in the players since we cannot take any team lightly in the league.”
He also apologised to the local fans, who turned up in large numbers, for the disappointing result.
“I want to assure the fans that we will give a better performance in our next outing,” Bulpin said.
In other matches on Sunday, Mohun Bagan registered their first win of the season by beating Air India 1-0 in Pune.
Pailan Arrows drew against giants Salgaocar 0-0 in Margao, while Dempo continued their reign at the top of the points table with a 2-1 win over United Sikkim in Gangtok.