By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: In a match that lived up to its reputation till the final whistle, Shillong Lajong FC held 2nd –placed Mohun Bagan 1-1. The Round 15 I-League encounter held at the JN Stadium on Wednesday was a crucial one for both sides, one nurturing title ambition while the other looking to make history with a top-three finish.
The engrossing encounter saw Bagan draw first blood through a Jeje Lalpekhlua goal in the 75th minute. The Mariners’ joy was short lived though as the hosts soon equalized when star striker Dipanda Dicka converted of a penalty kick to restore parity.
Bagan, however, rose to the top of the standings after picking up a point from the match thanks to their head-to-head advantage over Aizawl FC.
Lajong, meanwhile, remain 4th with 24 points in their kitty now.
Earlier, the hosts clearly looked the better of the two sides in an exciting first half that saw a couple of chances each go down for both sides.
The in-form Dipanda Dicka got the crowd into the act in as early as the 11th minute by creating a buzz in the Bagan defence with a bicycle kick that eventually landed safely on rival custodian Debjit Mazumdar.
Six minutes later, last match’s hero Redeem Tlang almost got the breakthrough for his side when he unleashed a left-footed scorcher from close range after a lofted ball was chested down by Dicka. Mazumdar could block it only partially as the ball took a deflection and crashed into the far left post.
In the 18th minute an advancing Dicka guided a firm shot towards the nets. However, Mazumdar made a desperate leap forward to deny the I-League lead scorer.
Bagan regrouped post the half hour mark with the likes of Sony Norde, Katsumi Yusa, Darryl Duffy and Eduardo Soares in the thick of action. A 36th minute Bagan header was denied by a brilliant diving save by Vishal Kaith.
Four minutes later Eduardo’s header of a Sony Norde free kick bounced over the post much to the dismay of coach Sanjoy Sen.
Crossing over Lajong looked to maintain the same intensity and created a few niggles for the Bagan defenders early on.
Finally the deadlock was broken in the 75th minute by Jeje who was brought in for Balwant Singh. A long ball from the midfield found the Bagan forward upfront and he chipped it over an advancing Vishal to give his side the crucial lead.
When the entire Bagan camp erupted in joy little did they know that the merriment would be short lived.
Three minutes later Lajong substitute Fabio Pena’s attempt from inside was clipped by the hand of one of the Bagan defenders. The result was a penalty and Dicka made no mistake to convert it from the spot much to the delight of the over 6000-strong crowd.
The visitors were also a touch unlucky when a Katsumi Yuta scorcher crashed on Kaith who was down on the ground. An inch on the right or left, and the outcome of the match could have been different.
In the end it was a well deserved point earned by both sides least to mention the performances of both the goalkeepers, who were at their best throughout.
