Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: Shillong Lajong kicked off their Indian Football League campaign with a 1-0 win against Mohammedan SC at Kalyani Stadium on Saturday. Substitute Nelson Rymbai broke the deadlock in the 90th minute to hand the Meghalaya side the points. The decisive play started when Abelson Jachi grabbed the ball near the penalty area and fired a cutback to Rymbai, who buried the chance with his right foot.
Shillong controlled most of the match but struggled to finish. Joedson dos Santos tested goalkeeper Nikhil Deka early in the 20th minute with a strike. Two minutes later, defender Juwel Ahmed Mazumder stopped a dangerous sequence involving Joao Vitor de Paula Morais, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, and Everbrightson Sana. Mohammedan coach Sudhir Mishra brought on Lalthankima for an injured F Lalremsanga as the hosts leaned on a tight defensive setup.
The visitors kept pushing. In the 41st minute, Deka denied Sana with a sharp foot save. Captain Kenstar Kharshong also missed with a header shortly after. Mohammedan captain Mahitosh Roy nearly responded just before halftime, forcing a diving save from Shillong keeper Ranit Sarkar. Despite registering 10 shots in the opening half, Shillong headed into the break tied 0-0.
The intensity spiked after the restart. Hira Mondal blocked a shot from Jota in the 48th minute, while Mahitosh sent a long-range effort wide shortly after. Kenstar sent a threatening cross into the box, but Juwel cleared the danger to keep the game locked. As the clock wound down, a report said, "The teams went into the interval level at 0-0." Rymbai finally settled the score in the final minute to seal the victory.
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