SHILLONG: After Wednesday’s shock, Rangdajied United FC treated football fans in Shillong to some delightful action in a 1-1 draw against defending champions Churchill Brothers in an I-League match at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Thursday.
Shillong Lajong FC’s 0-4 defeat to East Bengal on Wednesday was a heartbreaker of sorts, but RUFC’s confident beginning to their fourth match in the I-League got the 7,000 fans going.
Rangdajied were the more attacking team from the outset and created several chances in the first 10 minutes of play.
Captain Eugeneson Lyngdoh then gave the home team the lead in the 25th minute by breaking forward and catching the opposition by surprise.
A left-footer on target from the Man-of-the-Match saw the fans rise to their feet.
The euphoria was almost immediately quelled, however, when Churchill equalised in the very next minute.
Rangdajied conceded a free kick deep on their left flank. The ball was fed in but the advancing goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar could not get to the ball, allowing Balwant Singh to tap it in.
Although no further goals were scored, the action was by no means over.
David Ngaihte starred for Rangdajied with the ball throughout much of the match.
A few minutes into the second half, the ball dropped into open space in the CB half. Ngaihte raced to the ball, set himself and took a powerful low right-footer that looked to be perfect, only for it to hit the post.
On the hour mark, Edmar Figueira was brought on for a fatigued Sandesh Gadkari. Restomwell Khriam had been replaced in the first half by Bansharai Sun after problems with his hamstring.
From the 70th minute onwards Churchill were having to resist constant attacks by Rangdajied, who could not find a clear chance at goal.
After sustained pressure for a good five minutes, Churchill pushed back and it was the turn of the Rangdajied defence to perform.
In the final substitution for the home team, Joy Kharraswai came on for striker T Lalnunpuia, who had a satisfactory game but without scoring.
Others who impressed on the Blues side were defender Lamine Tamba and Pariyar, who made some excellent saves in the second half to compensate for his mistake in the first.
With the seconds ticking away, Eugene almost pulled off a blinder in stoppage time.
Receiving a pass on the left flank, he had to negotiate a bad bounce before blasting the ball, but it hit the side netting, thereby bringing the action to a close and allowing Churchill to escape the city with a point.
Rangdajied coach Santosh Kashyap was unsurprisingly pleased with his team’s effort.
“It was a great performance,” Kashyap said at the post-match press conference. “The way this young team played against the champions, everyone appreciated how they attacked and defended.
RUFC will next play the team they beat to lift the Second Division I-League title earlier in the year, Mohammedan Sporting, at home on October 20.
With two points from four matches, the fans may expect a victory next week, but Kashyap said that it was more important that his boys are improving with every game.
“Results will come, but I’m more happy with the way the players are playing. At the end of the season we’ll be in a better place with the way we are going,” he said