Absent ambulances delay kick-off
SHILLONG: The weather and missing ambulances marred the start of the first I-League match of the season at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Sunday, where Shillong Lajong FC drew 0-0 with Pune FC.
Regulations state that at least two ambulances have to be present at the ground for every game, but the vehicles arrived late, delaying the start of the match by an hour, to 4:30pm.
The rain fell heavily during the first half, but the large crowd, huddled under their umbrellas, stuck it out for the start of the game.
The home side started off a little scrappily in the opening minutes and conceded a few free kicks, but none of them cost the Reds any real trouble.
Pune FC had the first real chance, with a free kick in the sixth minute. Taken 10 yards outside the box, it was a strong strike, but the ball sailed just over the crossbar.
New signing Cornell Glen, who scored twice for Lajong in the first match against Dempo, was well marked by Pune’s defenders, but the Trinidad and Tobagan still created a couple of openings for himself although he struggled to finish things off throughout the game.
In the 14th minute Glen, on the right flank steered the ball past a couple of defenders, but the play in the box did not bear fruit, although Lajong at least started to look more lively.
The back line, with skipper Minchol Son in charge, was also alert, stifling any attempt by Pune to press forward.
Lajong started with new keeper Vinay Singh and in the 17th minute he punched the ball forcefully following a cross from the right flank.
Brazilian striker Uilliams Souza Silva really brought the game to life in the 18th minute with a strong left-footed shot from outside the box and Pune custodian Amrinder Singh had to dive full to his right to keep the ball out.
The visitors were not without their chances, but the ball was mainly played in their half.
In the 39th minute the Brazilian took another long-range shot from just inside the Pune half via a free kick. A low shot, the ball was on target and the keeper fumbled, yielding another corner.
The crowd really got behind the local team, with the corner resulting in another shot that went over the crossbar.
However, there was no breakthrough for either team and the half time whistle blew with the score still 0-0.
The second half began with the rain having cleared, but the field was still wet and a blustery wind continued to make conditions difficult.
Both teams started in a more lively manner, although Pune must have had their hearts in their mouths when a pass back to the keeper was fumbled and Lajong earned another corner in the 46th minute.
Amrinder made up for his earlier mistake by easily collecting the corner kick.
Boithang Haokip was more active in the second half. He took a good free kick in the 67th minute on the left flank. Feeding it in, there was a bit of a scrum and the ball was fired past the upright.
While both teams were pressing for the opening goal, each side was guilty of not completing their passes cleanly, which could be put down to the ball skidding off the artificial turf.
Pune were the slightly better team in the latter part of the second half and a nicely-placed cross from Douhou Pierre on the right flank into the box was blocked by a Lajong defender.
In what was almost a last gasp effort, Uilliams lofted the ball on 88 minutes into the box and Taisuke sprinted forward with a defender minding him, but could not get a foot to the ball.
Both teams were frantic at the end but the match ended 0-0 and given the way they played, Lajong and Pune should have been happy with a point each.
Mike Snoei, the Pune coach, expressed his irritation at the delay in the start of the match.
“I’m a little irritated at the late start to the game,” Snoei said at the post-match press conference, adding that Pune experienced a similar delay in their first game at Mohammedan last week.
“It was a difficult away game, but I can live with the result.”
SLFC coach Thangboi Singto also said that the weather and the delayed start affected his team’s momentum.
“I feel we had more chances,” Singto commented, “but there are improvements we can make.
It was notable that Lajong did not make any substitutions in the game and Singto remarked that because the players looked good enough on the field, he chose not to make any changes.
Asked about Glen, Singto said, “Hopefully he can give a better performance in the coming matches. He’s a professional, so he knows what to do.”