By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Shillong Lajong FC ended their I-League campaign with a goalless draw against defending champions Salgaocar in a Round 26 match at the JN Stadium here on Friday.
Salgaocar lost a golden opportunity to seal the largely low intensity encounter when Chidi Edeh failed to score from the spot in the second half after the Goans were awarded a penalty kick.
With this Lajong end the season at the 10th position with 28 points from 26 matches while Salgaocar finished 6th with 44 points in their kitty.
Lajong who started the season with a projected target of 40 points fell well short of it largely due to the five back-to-back defeats in the last phase of the I-League.
“Draw was a fair result,” said Lajong coach Pradhyum Reddy.
“They (Salgaocar) are a tough opponent with as many as 19 clean sheets to their name this season. Having said that, we did well to hold them which took our tally of clean sheets to 10,” Reddy added.
Meanwhile, Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa played down the outcome of the tie saying that being champion is the only thing that excites him in I-League.
“It does not really matter whether you end sixth or seventh,” he added.
“Overall the game was 50-50. The first half belonged to Lajong while we dominated the proceedings after the break,” Bencherifa said.
Earlier, Lajong started sluggishly but came back strong to regain control of the game in the first half. The hosts, however, missed as many as three chances to go into the lead. First it was Sushil Kumar who shot wide off the target from a difficult angle, in the 36th minute. Three minutes later, Boithang Haokip missed a clear chance when he hit one wide of the post from outside the box.
Crossing over, Lajong replaced Lalramluaha with Rennedy Singh. Salgaocar’s Chidi Edeh, who came in for Beevan D’mello, in the 64th minute, looked to win the game for the Goans when his team was awarded a penalty for a foul inside the box, in the 71st minute. The lanky Nigerian stepped up for the kick, while the crowd watched with bated breath. Their joys knew no bounds when Chidi skied his shot over the crossbar ,to keep the match alive.
Lajong then made two substitutions in quick succession, as the game appeared to be heading for a tame draw. Lalhimthara replaced Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Tuboi came in for Haokip. However, it was too late for a result and the match ended with both teams sharing a point each.Lajong’s Wailadmi Passah was declared the man-of-the-match. Meanwhile, Salgaocar’s Shillong-born midfielder Rocus Lamare has been ruled out of the AFC match at Uzbekistan next week due to an injury he received on Friday.
