SHILLONG, MAR 15: Rangdajied United FC pulled off a brilliant 3-1 win over Mohun Bagan as they completed a league double over the Kolkata giants, and moved up to the 8th place in the league table in the process.
Coach Hering Shangpliang brought back goalkeeper Surjay Pariyar and medio Tomba Singh into the starting line-up in place of  TP Rehnesh and Abocha Singh, both of whom had started in the Blues’ 4-0 thrashing of United SC.
Rangdajied began the game on a bright note, and made some early forays into the Bagan half. Having won two games in a row in the I-League recently, the confidence of the team was quite visible as they dominated the early proceedings.
In the 20th minute, skipper Eugeneson sent in a cross from the left flank that was met by Ranti Martins. As the Bagan defence tried to clear the ball, Rangdajied medio Tomba Singh, to whom the ball fell at, sent in a powerful shot from close range that went into the Bagan net, giving Rangdajied a much-deserved lead.
Having taken the early lead, Rangdajied started playing more freely, and piled up the pressure on Mohun Bagan. In the 35th minute, Steven Dias, who had already troubled the Bagan defence in the first few minutes, sent in a free-kick into the visitors’ half that was parried away by Bagan custodian Sandip Nandy. The ball fell to Rangdajied’s Kim Song Yong, who calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net, doubling the hosts’ lead and sending the home crowd into jubilation.
Bagan hadn’t even recovered fully from the second goal when Rangdajied came raiding into their half once again. A defensive mix-up in the backline allowed Ranti Martins to have a go at the goal, and the Nigerian forward made no mistake in putting the ball past Sandip Nandy, as Rangdajied went 3-0 ahead.
Just as Rangdajied looked to be cruising at this stage, Bagan, however, hit back on the 41stminute of the game through Odafa Okolie. The forward exchanged passes with Christopher Chizoba before slotting the ball past Surjay Paryar, as a stunned Rangdajied defence looked on. There were to be no more goals in the next few minutes, and the teams headed into the break with the hosts holding a 3-1 lead.
Rangdajied began the second half on the same note as the first 45 minutes and pushed Bagan back into their half. The Blues’ relentless attacking in the early minutes of the second half meant that the visitors got few opportunities to try and have a go at the hosts’ goal.
Past the hour mark, Rangdajied, however, cut down on their attacking raids, and instead tried to give minimal space to the creative Mohun Bagan side. The Mariners had a few chances, but they failed to significantly trouble the compact Rangdajied defence.
Odafa and Chizoba looked lively figures for Bagan up front, as they tried to script a comeback for the Kolkata giants in the last quarter of the game. Rangdajied, however, kept on frustrating the opposition as they moved back from their high-line formation to hold back the visitors’ attack.
Odafa had one of the best chances for his side in the 76th minute when he only had Surjay Pariyar to beat from close range. However, with the Blues’ defence closing down on him, Odafa’s hastily taken shot went agonizingly wide.
Rangdajied slowed the game down as they passed the ball around in the last few minutes. Bagan didn’t threaten much in the final moments of the game, and the referee blew the final whistle with the scoreline reading 3-1 in Rangdajied’s favour, as the home crowd wildly celebrated the 3 points.
The win, the third consecutive for Rangdajied, means that Hering Shangpliang’s men now move up to 8th place in the league table, with 21 points from 19 games, and will be brimming with confidence ahead of an away league encounter against East Bengal on March 23.- By Our Reporter
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