Lajong’s late winner upsets Churchill’s bid
Shillong:bottom-placed Shillong Lajong scored a late goal to pull off an upset 3-2 win over over second-placed Churchill Brothers in a crucial match of the 12th I-league football tournament on Tuesday. Samuel Kynshi (36th, 45th minutes) scored a brace before Naorem Mahesh Singh (83rd) scored a late winner to derail Churchill’s title hopes at the JLN Stadium here.
As a result, Chennai City FC remain on top of the points table with 30 points from four games.
The talented Mahesh scored his fourth league goal late in the second half to ensure Churchill remain on 29 points, a point adrift of Chennai and in second place after 16 games.
Churchill did well to get back on level terms through Willis Plaza’s 17th league goal and an Anthony Wolfe strike in the second half, after going into the break two goals down.
ARROWS STUN MINERVA
BHUBANESWAR: Indian Arrows stunned defending champions Minerva Punjab 2-1 to notch their fifth win of the 12th I-league season and leapfrog to seventh position in the standings. Goals from Rohit Danu in the first half and Rahim Ali in the second ensured that Moinuddin’s 68th minute strike for the champions went in vain.
Rahim Ali was declared Player-of-the-match for scoring the second goal for his team at the Kalinga Stadium.
KASHMIR VS GOKULAM
SRINAGAR: Debutants Real Kashmir FC will be aiming for nothing less than a victory in their bid to keep title hopes alive when they take on Gokulam in the I-league here. Kashmir are on 29 points from 15 games, just one behind leaders Chennai City and a victory on Wednesday can catapult the debutants to the top spot.
Kashmir’s chances livened up after second-placed Churchill Brothers lost to Shillong Lajong. Both Real Kashmir and Churchill are on 29 points but the Goan side is just ahead on account of a better goal difference.
Gokulam, on the other hand, are totally out of the equation, having garnered 12 points from 14 games.
ISL: BLASTERS EYE WIN
BENGALURU: Kerala Blasters will renew their rivalry with tabletoppers Bengaluru FC when the two sides meet in an Indian Super League fixture at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
The two sides have a burgeoning rivalry and three points will be highly coveted despite the disparity in their positions on the table. Bengaluru have all but sealed their spot in the play-offs with 30 points from 13 games while Kerala Blasters are out of the running with 10 points from 14 games. “The reason we are on top is because of the work that we have put in as a whole. We take risks, but we know that we are taking risks. The final outcome is that we are on top,” Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat said.