Reds dismiss relegation threat, beat East Bengal 1-0 to finish sixth
SHILLONG: The entire JN Stadium erupted in loud cheers of joy and relief at the blow of the final whistle as a cornered Shillong Lajong FC put up a spirited show to not only beat the famed East Bengal and dismiss all relegation fears but catapult their position in the I-League standings.
The Reds beat the visitors 1-0 as little known Issac Vanmalsawma Chhakchhuak turned out to be the hero of the day for the hosts, netting the winner moments after the hour mark.
The Reds had everything at stake coming into this make or break tie and not only did they bend their backs but ensured that they give the over 8000 strong crowd a lot to cheer about by evading a drop into the second tier of Indian football.
The result, however, meant that fellow Northeasterners Aizawl FC will not feature in next edition of the Hero I-League.
It was a disappointing outing though for East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan who would have to wait till the Federation Cup to finish on the winning side. East Bengal finished third with 25 points while Lajong amassed 18 points to finish sixth.
Issac struck gold a minute after the hour mark to send the crowd into raptures. Eventually, it was an “all’s well that ends well” kind of scenario for the hosts who breathed a sigh of relief as the referee blew the long whistle.
Lajong had to garner at least one point to ensure that they survive to fight another season and they did that in style by adding three points to their tally.
The jubilation and relief was visible on the face of Lajong coach Thangboi Singto as the players got the vociferous crowd into the act towards the fag end of the tie. Indeed, the entire JN Stadium was relieved to see the Reds make the cut.
Earlier, Lajong started on a visibly determined note dominating the early exchanges. Fabio Pena was in the thick of action lurking dangerously in the East Bengal box. The first real chance of the match came in the 10th minute when Fabio picked a long ball on the left only to fire it wide of the far post.
Penn Orji, meanwhile, was at his sublime best in the midfield, building things up for the Reds.
East Bengal threatened to go into the lead at the stroke of half hour but a Ranti Martins header from a good position went wide of the target.
East Bengal custodian and a former Lajong man Rehenesh TP, meanwhile, was on his toes throughout, thwarting many a Lajong advance especially initiated by Fabio and Uilliams Silva.
Crossing over Fabio had his first good look at the goal in the 56 min when a decent diving save by Rehenesh denied the Brazilian another opportunity.
However, barely five minutes later danger came from the most unexpected corner for the visitors. Midfielder Issac Vanmalsawma took an aim at the nets after receiving the ball from Fabio. A deflection of Arnab Mondal beat Rehenesh to send the Lajong players, coach, support staff and of course the crowd into raptures. It was Lajong 1 and East Bengal 0.
The Reds thereafter did well to squeeze top scorer Ranti Martins denying him free movement as the cheers grew louder with the passage of every minute. A well marked Ranti could do nothing to convert of a Sanju Pradhan cross in the 82nd minute.
Lajong, meanwhile, were denied again in the 87th minute by Rehenesh’s excellence in front of the crossbar. Rehenesh made back to back saves to deny Boithang Haokip who followed up on the rebound off his own shot after a cross was sent in to him from the left.
Meanwhile, the last real chance for East Bengal came in the stoppage time when a Sanju Pradhan shot from a difficult angle from the right was held dearly by Kunzang Bhutia, playing his first game of the season.
It was game over for East Bengal post that as Lajong mustered a great escape from relegation giving their faithful a lot to cheer about.
A relieved Lajong coach Thangboi Singto thanked the fans and the team management for their continuous support.
“The victory goes to the fans as much as it does to the team,” he said after the match.
“End of the day football has won,” he added, clearly pointing to the fact that Lajong have been the pioneers of club football in Northeast.
Singto added that there was no undue pressure on the side going into the tie.
“I told the boys to enjoy the game and make sure they give their best,” the Lajong coach added.