Shillong Lajong vs Rangdajied Utd today
SHILLONG: In the most eagerly awaited football match this season, Shillong Lajong FC will clash with Rangdajied United FC at the JN Stadium, Polo, on Friday at 6pm in the maiden Shillong I-League derby.
Anticipation has been building for this contest in the city as well as other parts of Meghalaya ever since Rangdajied qualified for the I-League earlier in the year and the match is expected to be well attended, with those missing out on the contest also able to watch the action live on television.
Lajong are technically the hosts for Friday’s game, the 10th round of the season, and their coach Thangboi Singto, speaking at a pre-match press conference on Thursday, recognised the match’s importance.
“It will be a historic event tomorrow,” Singto said, “and a big day for football in the North East, which has seen a number of players play at the national level.”
Commenting on the magnitude of the fixture, Singto added that “Football will be the winner and Lajong and Rangdajied will both play for a win.”
The Reds will miss key players as Jibon Singh has to serve a two-match suspension for a red card in the last match against Mohun Bagan, while vice-captain Wailadmi Passah is out after copping four yellow cards in the season so far.
Robin Gurung, who is fairly experienced when it comes to big I-League matches, will play in Passah’s spot, Singto said.
Lajong will also aim to ride on the impressive form of their two foreign strikers – Cornell Glen and Uilliams Souza Silva.
Glen has delivered fairly consistently and has six goals to his name in seven games, while Uilliams did well when Glen was out injured and scored three goals in the last two matches.
SLFC also have an impressive talent in Subash Singh, who has lit up the field with his performances.
The hosts will need these players, as well as the rest of the team, to fire on what is likely to be a cold Friday night as Rangdajied look strong on paper with additional signings since their last match.
The new I-League club have just three points from eight games (earned from three draws at home) and have roped in five players from the proposed IMG-R league, namely, India internationals Gouramangi Singh, Sandesh Jingham and Subrata Paul, all of whom are available for the match. The other two, Tomba Singh and Manandeep Singh, may also feature.
Another boost for the debutants is the return to fitness of captain Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Restomwell Khriam.
Lyngdoh, who has played in the past for Lajong, had missed several matches due to a knee injury.
“It will be emotional (match) for me and I am very grateful to them (Lajong),” Lyngdoh said at the press conference. “I have full respect for Lajong but I will be playing for a win for my club.”
RUFC have a few injury worries, however, in Edmar Figueira, Nagen Tamang and Sandesh Gadkari.
“It’s a great setback that we will miss Edmar again because he was regaining his form and his fitness after struggling initially,” Kashyap said of the Brazilian. “He was doing well in the Shillong Premier League and even scored a hat-trick [recently],” said the coach.
Speaking about the first ever Shillong derby, Kashyap, who joined Rangdajied in the pre-season, said, “The derby is a very good thing for football in Meghalaya.
“Both teams are doing well even as Lajong have got the desired results while we are waiting for it.
“But we hope that with the strengthening of the squad things should get better for us.”
The fact that the Blues signed five players from IMG-R was not without controversy, however, and Kashyap was expectedly quizzed about it by reporters at the pre-match gathering.
The coach said, plainly, that “It was a management call.”
Rangdajied became the second League club, after Mohammedan Sporting, to sign players from IMG-R, in contravention of a decision by the I-League Professional Football Clubs Association, a grouping that initially opposed the new Indian Super League football tournament.
Coming back to the derby, Singto was asked whether Lajong would be under more pressure given that they are the senior, more experienced team.
In reply he warned against underestimating any side in the I-League and said that “It’s always good to be under a bit of pressure since it helps bring out the best in the players.”
Shillong Lajong are currently riding an unbeaten streak, not having lost any one of their last five matches.
However, they have played seven of their first nine games of the season at the JN Stadium and have only been able to win one, against Mohammedan.
Rangdajied, meanwhile, have secured three points thanks to three drawn matches, all of which came at home to strong teams – Dempo, Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar – and will look to go one better against the Reds.
They are currently at the bottom of the 13-club table and have a goal difference that is heavily skewed towards the negative.
Lajong, on the other hand have 13 points from nine games and are fifth in the standings.
A victory on Friday could see them move to second – depending on the result of the Salgaocar-Pune match earlier in the day – although other 10th round games over the weekend will likely shake things up.
What fans of both clubs will expect from Friday is a cracking game of football, showcasing the talent of the only two North East clubs in the I-League.
Shillong Lajong
* 5th with 13 points
* Scored 12 goals (Top scorer: Cornell Glen – 6)* Last 5 I-League games – DWDWD
Rangdajied United
* 13th with 3 points
* Scored 5 goals (Top scorer: David Ngaihte – 2)
* Last 5 I-League games – DLLLD