I-LEAGUE Media Team
NEW DELHI: Shillong Lajong Junior Boys defeated Langsning FC by a 3-0 margin, and successfully lifted the Shillong Premier League title 2014/15.
It was the final test for the Lajong young guns to beat the odds of the Shillong Premier League being the youngest team in the league with an average age of 19 years.
Lajong boys went into the match with a sour taste of defeat against Langsning FC as they beat the Reds by two goals in the first semis of the tournament.
Undeterred by the loss, the Junior Reds were high on confidence. Their desire to win was evident as right from kick off the Junior Reds were on the front foot.
The excellent team work by the Lajong lads was rewarded early in the 16th minute when in form midfielder Rupert Nongrum found the back of the net to give his team the lead. The young team did not sit back and continued to press in the opponents half. Three minutes later, Rupert doubled the lead after being awarded a penalty.
Despite several attempts to create chances, Langsning did not manage to break the defence and hence Lajong went into the break with a two-goal lead.
Lajong Junior Coach Alison would have spoken to his players to keep working hard and focus on winning the match. The Reds started the second half as they did the first. They were not relying on a two goal cushion as they continued to dominate the game looking for a third goal.
Langsning did create few chances but were not successful in front of goal. Then in the 67th minute, Jacob who scored the winner in the semi final, took a shoot 30 yards away from goal and his strike proved to be a brilliant one as he put his name in the score sheet giving Lajong Juniors a three-goal lead.
Impressively, the young boys stayed calm and composed without any silly mistake to ensure they didn’t concede a goal until final whistle was blown.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the whole team was already overwhelmed with excitement. Shillong Lajong Juniors finally did it as they lifted the Shillong Premier League trophy in front of the spectators who came to witness the Future Stars of North East.
Report inputs: Shillong Lajong Media