Shillong derby ends in 1-1 draw
SHILLONG: Kim Song Yong turned out to be the man of the moment for Royal Wahingdoh as his stoppage time goal ensured that the hosts go home with a point from the high intensity second Shillong derby played at the JN Stadium here on Sunday.
It was a dramatic comeback by the Royals who seemed to be heading for their first loss in six games. Just when it seemed all over or them, Kim stepped up to drive home the equaliser making it 1-1 for the Shillong rivals.
Kim struck seconds before the final whistle, much to the relief of the RWFC fans who braved heavy rain earlier in the afternoon to make it to the ground. The striker headed home of a brilliant Naoba Singh cross.
Earlier, Lajong’s Nim Dorjee Tamang scored in the 38th minute to take the Reds ahead.
Post the victory the Royals have moved up to the second spot with 23 points in their kitty from 14 games while Lajong are at ninth spot with 12 points from equal number of games.
Lajong were reduced to 10-men in the 69th minute when Seminlen Doungel received his second yellow card.
Earlier, the Reds started brightly in the first half and almost converted in the second minute when a Minchol Son header of a corner hit the crossbar.
Lajong maintained pressure and finally drew first blood in the 38th minute. A Uilliams Souza Silva free kick from the right spotted Minchol Son inside the box. Minchol headed it straight up in the air as RWFC custodian Nikhil Bernard and defender Loveday Okechukwu tried to clear it but in vain. A lurking Tamang drove home a ‘bicycle kick’ to take the Reds ahead.
Wahingdoh’s best chance to convert in the first half came in the 33rd minute when Lallawnzuala made a great run down the right with his cross executed to perfection. However, Seityasen Singh was found a little unbalanced and his running header did not quite come off.
Crossing over, the Royals looked more like their real self, coming down hard on their opponents. RWFC coach Kashyap brought in Kim Yong two minutes into the second half as the hosts launched a planned assault.
Meanwhile, the sending off of Doungel post the hour mark reduced Lajong to 10-men thus making their approach even more defensive.
With less than 10 minutes to go, the relentless Royals sent several long range efforts flying over the nets in search of the equalizer with the likes of Seityasen Singh, Reagan Singh, and Lalmangaihsanga in the thick of action.
Despite all the efforts the hosts looked to be heading towards an undesired result as time was running out fast.
However, Kim had other ideas. The RWFC No. 23 headed home a cross from Naoba to make it 1-1 with seconds to go for the final whistle sending the Wahingdoh fans into raptures.
The Royals will next take on McDowells Mohun Bagan in another home tie on April 18 while Lajong play Pune FC in an away game on April 19.