Reds beat East Bengal 4:3 on aggregate
SHILLONG: Shillong Lajong FC beat East Bengal 4- 3 in aggregate in a prolonged battle at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday to proceed to the semi final of the Federation Cup. Trailing 1-2 in the first leg, East Bengal put up a fighting show to somehow bring their campaign on track with a 2-1 scoreline in regulation time thus levelling the aggregate 3-3. However, as the match advanced to extra time, Uilliams Souza Silva emerged as the star of the day for the visitors striking in the 114th minute to decide the fate of the match in Lajong’s favour. This was a sweet revenge for the Lajong faithful and the team which had lost the finals of the Federation Cup in 2010 against East Bengal on penalties. Lajong will now face the winners of Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar return leg clash here on Thursday as the Mariners lead 3-2 heading into the home leg semis. Lajong scored the first goal when Fabio Pena converted a penalty in the 17th minute. East Bengal equalised barely six minutes later also via a penalty by Ranti Martins. It was Lalrindika Ralte who made it 2-1 for the Red and Golds in the 37th minute, and levelled the aggregate 3-3 for his side. The score line remained 2-1 at full time and hence the play had to be extended to 30 minutes extra time. Uilliams scored the second goal for Lajong and took the aggregate to 4:3 in the 114th minute of the game giving his team the well deserved advantage to progress to the semi finals. It was a good show by the Reds considering the fact that they played under hostile conditions in the heat of Kolkata. The match referee had to provide several water breaks during the course of the match. Despite the heat, the match was played with good intensity as both teams were attacking and pressing towards the defenders. The home team, meanwhile, was backed by its vocal supporters. Even though East Bengal looked the more eager side to find a goal, it was Lajong who got the break as Bipin’s cross hit Deepak Mondal’s hand inside the box and Fabio made no mistake in converting the penalty. The fortune shifted to East Bengal in the 22nd minute after Do Dong’s cross hit Nim Dorjee’s hand and the home team was awarded a penalty. Ranti Martins then stepped up and equalised in the 23rd minute. With the aggregate still 2-3 in favour of the visiting team, East Bengal kept pressing forward and they did come to level playing field in the 37th minute when Lalrindika Ralte found himself some space inside the box and curled the ball past the keeper giving his side a 2-1 lead in the match and tying the aggregate 3- 3. Lajong, however, ensured that no more damage is done as the match progressed into extra time. It was in the second half of extra time that Uilliams stepped up to create all the difference between the two sides. The Brazilian chested the ball down from a Penn Orji cross before hitting it past TP Rehenesh to silence the home crowd. Englishman Trevor Morgan, a two-time Federation Cup winning coach for East Bengal, thus began his second stint as the head coach in an ominous fashion failing to win against the Lajong outfit in three attempts inside 15 days. Earlier on Sunday, the Reds had beaten East Bengal 2-1 in the first-leg quaterfinal in Shillong. Lajong’s Konsham Chinglensana Singh (33′) opened the scoring before Do DongHyun (44′) equalised right before half-time. Fabio Pena (62′) later hit the winning goal for the hosts.
