AIZAWL: In the maiden North-eastern derby played in Aizawl, neither side managed to score and earn all the three points.
In the first half, there were no goal-bound moves from either side. The ball did not find the net but Yamagata's header was the best-attacking move from the Shillong outfit in the first half. Aizawl FC tried to utilise the left flank and garner the attacking moves from the midfield but could not penetrate the sturdy Lajong defense.
Lalmuankima (Mka) played brilliantly in his Hero I-league debut. His well-timed attempt was calmly saved by Vishal Kahit. Towards the end of the first half, Lalrinpuia's shot was cleared by Pritam Singh.
The Shillong Lajong FC striker Fabio Henrique Pena had to be stretchered off the pitch following a collision with Aizawl FC keeper Poirei. Fabio made a leap to head a long ball from the left flank but unfortunately collided with Poirei. Singto made no delay to introduce Uilliams Silva in place of the injured Brazilian striker. The first half ended with no goal scored by either of them.
Alfred unleashed a blistering shot in the 47th minute but it was well blocked by Vishal Kahit. In the 69th minute, Lajong earned themselves a freekick 35 yards away from the net, but Boithang's shot failed to overleap the wall formed by the players and was blocked by it.
The ball eventually found the net in the 76th minute with a shot from Alfred but the whistle had already been blown as Alfred had a mistimed challenge on Lajong defender.
Shillong Lajong FC sought to attack but could not create potential chances. Both gaffers preferred to deploy the 'safety-first' strategy to secure a point at least from the much anticipated North-eastern derby.
The Hero of the Match was accorded to David Lalrinmuana, the captain of Aizawl FC. Shillong Lajong FC are 6th in the league table now with 8 points while Aizawl FC trail behind them in the seventh position with 5 points.
In the post-match press conference, Thangboi Singto asserted, "It was a tough game but we came up with a point. After losing Fabio in the first half, we had to adopt a defensive strategy." He admitted that his boys did not play well, especially in the first half and said, "We did not have good control of our first touches." He concluded, "We can do much better, and we will look to improve our performance in the next match."
Jahar Das, the interim coach of Aizawl FC, said, "We are starting to keep our goal safe. We have to secure our goal first and then go for the kill to move up the table."
