Shillong Lajong beat Pailan Arrows
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 19 2011:
North East India's only I league team Lajong FC, Shillong managed to get 8 points from its six matches in the ongoing coveted football tournament of the country.
With two draws besides losing twice in the previous matches Lajong won in two matches including the day's match with Kolkata based Pailan group owned by Pailan Arrows at the Khuman Lampak main stadium here on Saturday afternoon.
Lajong beat Pailan Arrows 1-0 today.
Lajong's solitary goal in their sixth match here was scored in the 35th minute when Jersey number 7 Lalramluaha converted a direct kick into a goal.
In their first match on October 29 at their home ground here Lajong had defeated Hindustan Aeronautical Limited(HAL),Bangalore 1-0 to climb point tally.
However they played a goalless draw when they play with Air India on November 10 .
Reacting to the day's match, Pailan Arrows Coach Sukhvinder Singh said,"We played at our best.
We also create chances but couldn't convert it into goals.
But it was a bad luck for us" .
Stating that they have more or less dominated the match, the coach also blamed the condition of the playfield saying "the ground too hard to play for our boys.
You cannot expect good soccer in such type of ground" .
It may be noted that after Lajong selected Imphal as its homeground for the I league,a three member AFC team including one official from Japan and Korea gave green signal to hold I league matches at Khuman Lampak main stadium ground which has so far become the highest attendance (11000) stadium of the I league.
Many Lajong fans in group turned up to watch the day's show.
"Altogether 50 of us from our village came to watch the match as one of our elder brother(Seikhohao Tuboi) is playing for Lajong",says Tuboi's younger brother Lena(24)."We're proud of him for playing in such a coveted tournament" .
Like Lena ,many near and dear ones of Manipuri players who plays for both Lajong and Pailan Arrows came and witnessed the match.
Around 7 players from Manipur plays for Lajong which is scheduled to face reputed Mohan Bagan in Imphal on December 2 afternoon.