SHILLONG: Rangdajied United FC held Kolkata’s Southern Samity to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the 2nd Division I-League final round held on Saturday in Bangalore.
In another match on the day, Langsning FC lost to Mumbai Tigers 0-1.
Rangdajied did well playing in the humid conditions in Bangalore as they took on the boys from Kolkata.
It was Rangdajied who took the lead in the 30th minute of the game when Babatunde Ayomide headed home a well measured cross from skipper Rustom Khyriem, which brought joy to the Shillong club’s camp.
However, that joy was short lived as Southern Samity fought back and scored the equaliser in the 50th minute when Suroj Mondal push home a ball that was deflected by Rangdajied custodian Surjay K Pariyar.
As the match progressed, the Shillong club displayed brilliant defending skills, making it impossible for the Kolkata side to score any more goals.
With this draw, both teams earned one point each in their campaign to qualify for the I-League’s top tier next season.
Rangdajied received a scare in the second half after Babatunde had to be rushed to hospital following an injury. After treatment, he was released by doctors and has rejoined his team at the club hotel.
In the other match to feature a Shillong-based club, Langsning went down to Mumbai Tigers despite looking like the better team.
It was Langsning who dominated the game from the kick-off, but they could not make their advantage count.
In the 24th minute of the game, Daniel Bedemi, fired the ball into the net from a tight angle, but he was ruled off side.
The Tigers scored the only goal of the game in first half stoppage time after referee Ajit Meetei of Manipur awarded a spot kick in favour of the Mumbai club after one of their players was brought down inside the box.
Taking the shot, Mohammed Rafi made no mistake to beat Langsning custodian Laishram Prem Kumar Singh for the winner.
Among their ranks, the Tigers can boast of former Indian football star Pardeep, who was involved in the action, but couldn’t score.
In the 52nd minute of the game, substitute L Nabachnadra Singh’s shot just went past the Tigers’ goal post, depriving Langsning of the equaliser.
After the match, a Langsning team official said that he was satisfied with the manner in which his boys played, despite the defeat, but he was critical of the referee’s decision to award the penalty, which ultimately cost his side dearly.
The other two clubs in the final round are Mohammedan Sporting and Bhawanipore FC.