Shillong Lajong thrashed Mumbai FC 3-2

Shillong, October 23 : The Shillong Lajong FC drubbed Mumbai FC 3- 2 goals in the second away wins in a row at the Balewadi Stadium Pune in the sixth  round of matches in the I-League on Wednesday. With this win the Shillong Lajong move up to fifth position with eight points from six  games and Mumbai FC stay in seventh  position with six points from six games.

The goals for Shillong Lajong FC came from Taisuke Matsugae and a brace from the man of the match Cornell Glen whereas Mumbai FC had Ahmadi and Perambara on the score sheet.

Shillong Lajong could not have wished for a better start after Taisuke Matsugae opened the scoring for Lajong in the fifth  minutes with a brilliant individual display exposing the weak Mumbai backline as he went pass both Rodriguez and Perambara before putting the ball in the bottom corner, past Mumbai custodian, Kunal Sawant.

The hosts then got back on level terms in the fifteen  minutes after Kamaljit Kumar delivered a beautiful through ball to Afghanistan international Sandjar Ahmadi who then put his shot past Lajong goalkeeper Vinay Singh in the back of the net. Both teams couldn’t hold possession, made sloppy passes, even though there were little sparkling attacking plays on both sides of the pitch.

Tuboi could have put the visitors in front again but he missed a sitter from just outside the six  yard box after Sawant spilled Boithang Haokip’s thunderous strike. The first half ended at 1-1 even as both teams put pressure on each other after Ahmadi’s strike.

The second half started the same way it ended in first half with both teams creating chances. It took Lajong fifty nine minutes into the game for them to get back in front after Glen swept past the aged Anwar Ali who could not catch up to Glen’s run after which the Trinidad and Tobago international’s shot flew into the net even though Kunal Sawant could have done better. After this goal the game was very much one sided as Lajong kept on pressing, looking for their third goal and they were rewarded in the seventy-eighth minutes after Glen found his second goal.

A defensive mistake from Ashutosh Mehta was capitalised by Cornell Glen who exposed Anwar Ali once again to get Lajong’s third goals. Cornell Glen could have finished with a hat trick but Kunal Sawant did well to come off his line to stop Subash Singh’s cross. The game took its toll on substitute Haroon Amiri of Mumbai FC in which he was sent off after he threw a punch at Lajong’s captain, Minchol Son.

The game thereafter turned ugly towards the end of the ninety minutes. Mumbai FC then managed to scare the visiting team through a goal in the ninety second minutes from Ritesh Perambara, but it was all too late as the match ended in the visitor’s favour.

Match official Anthony Elvis had a busy day on the pitch having to control the mid table clash between the two teams in which Jibon Singh, Anwar Ali and Zodingliana found their names on the booking and Mumbai FC’s Haroon Amiri being sent off. Both teams made changes with Thangboi Singto bringing on Subash Singh for Williams in the fifty-three minutes, Jacob Lacrawngbawla for Milan Singh in the eighty-two minutes and Zodingliana for Glen in the ninety minutes.

Mumbai FC on the other hand brought in Amiri for Perreira in the sixty eight minutes, Subhash Chakraborty for Kamaljeet Kumar in the seventy-four minutes and Rohit Mirza for Jayesh Rane in the eighty- seven minutes.- By Our Reporter