I-League Media Report

SHILLONG: The last 20 minutes of the Hero I-League fixture between Shillong Lajong FC and Sporting Clube de Goa saw massive fluctuations in momentum before the Flaming Oranje secured a precious 2-1 victory at the JN Stadium here on Wednesday.

A woeful error from Shillong Lajong FC goalkeeper Rehenesh TP cost his team the lead against Sporting, but Uilliams Souza Silva secured the equaliser just four minutes later with a free kick. However, the story was not complete, with legendary striker Odafa Okolie delivering the winner in the 83rd minute.

The victory takes the Goan outfit to 20 points, up to sixth position from a lowly 10th, signalling a fantastic turnaround for the club that has spent the bulk of the season in the relegation zone. They have now won four of their last five games, this being their first away from Goan soil.

Rehenesh failed to clear a ball properly in the 70th minute and an alert Brandon Fernandes spotted a golden opportunity to race to it and fire it in before Rehenesh, who had come out of the box to meet the ball, could get back into position.

However, just four minutes later Uilliams secured the equaliser with a dipping free kick that caught Sporting’s keeper Ravi Kumar off guard, the ball bouncing over the diving keeper.

Odafa then benefited from a defensive lapse from an otherwise alert Lajong. The Nigerian was completely unmarked on the right flank and a pass to the striker allowed him the perfect chance to secure a goal in what would have otherwise been a frustrating day out for him.

The two clubs appeared to adopt differing strategies during the 90 minutes of action, with Lajong pushing several men up front, while the visitors seemed more content to hang back, with only Odafa really pressing in attack.

Unlike in previous matches, the hosts seemed to click from the first whistle, but despite the stellar performances of Penn Orji, Uilliams and Cornell Glen, they could not break down the Sporting defence in the first session. Zodingliana also impressed and even earned a couple of half chances, but failed to make them count.

Other than that failure to block Uilliams’ equalising free kick, Kumar had a stellar day under the bar. Some of his highlights include tipping an Orji free kick in the 80th minute over the bar and later getting behind a powerful Glen free kick in stoppage time that was Lajong’s last gap effort.

Hero of The Match: Odafa Okolie