Lajong FC and Air India play out a goalless draw
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 10 2011:
North East favourite Lajong FC, Shillong could live up to the crowd's expectation as they couldn't convert its lone penalty shot against Air India in the second half of the day's I league match being played at the well attended Khuman Lampak main stadium here this afternoon.
Thus the match ended with a goalless draw.
It was in the 87th minute of the much contested match when Lajong's defender jersey number 2 Aibor Khongjee got an opportunity to take the solitary penalty kick after Air India's Kali Alaudeen N touched the ball within the D box.
Interestingly, Air India's custodian Pawan Kumar easily pushed the penalty shot of Aibor making the air indians smile at the end of the match.
But reacting to the day's match, Lajong's Coach Pryadhyum Reddy appreciated the performance of his team saying that both the teams played very well despite the rough field.
"It was a fantastic match, they(Air India) also played well", Reddy opined.
Team captain John D Monyongar(jersey number 10) also shared similar sentiment.
On the other hand Air India's coach Santosh Kashyap said the playfield in Imphal was somehow suitable with Nivia but not with balls such as Nike etc.
"It look flat(pointing to the Khuman Lampak ground),but when our players played it was hard for them to control the ball due to the ground", says the coach, "But somehow our players managed to play at their best.
I'm also confident that our keeper will save the penalty" .
Air India's team captain Nepolean Singh who happened to be from Manipur speaking to The Assam Tribune after the match said that so far they have played altogether five matches of which they won 2 and lost twice.
Today's match is their fifth match, he added.
On the other hand Lajong also so far played five matches wherein they won only once,l ost twice and drawn twice.
In their last match against Sports Clube de Goa at Goa on October 31, they lost to 3-4 .
However they beat Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL), Bangalore 1-0 in the round 26 match at Khuman Lampak Main stadium on October 29 this year.