Shillong, Oct 28: Nongkseh SSCC suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lakecity FC at the SSA Stadium today evening in a fiercely contested I-League 3 Group C encounter, with Abhijit Tawhare scoring the decisive goal in the 58th minute.
Nongkseh had two men sent off, which put a big dent in their hopes of winning a third game in a row. The first casualty was Ieitlang Syiemlieh, who clashed with Marvin Khammuanthang. The Nongkseh forward would have probably only walked away with a yellow (as was shown to Marvin) but was seen to have words with the referee or the player and was therefore sent off for two infractions.
Later, Banraplang Pyngrope also got his marching orders in the 76th minute. He was the victim of a late tackle by Arif Shaikh but lashed out at his opponent by stamping on him, a clear red card offence. These twin blows will also be felt by Nongkseh on Friday when they play Godavari in their last group match without these two players.
Despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for most of the match, Nongkseh continued to create scoring opportunities, but Lakecity goalkeeper Hitendra Singh produced several crucial saves to preserve his team’s lead.
Nongkseh came close to opening the scoring in the 17th minute when Ieitlang’s powerful effort from the right flank travelled across the face of the Lakecity goal, narrowly missing the target.
The Nongkseh No. 9 was then red-carded but his teammates continued to threaten. In the 44th minute Hardy Cliff Nongbri provided an excellent assist for Owanijuh Pajuh inside the Lakecity penalty area, but the latter’s close-range attempt was denied by Hitendra.
Switching ends, Lakecity nearly conceded an own goal in the 51st minute when Hardy’s cross was met by Saurabh Nikam, whose attempted defensive header went towards his own goal. However, Hitendra reacted quickly and got a hand to the ball to prevent it from crossing the line.
Lakecity threatened from a corner in the 54th minute, with several players attempting headers inside the Nongkseh penalty area, but the home defence eventually cleared the danger.
The visitors broke the deadlock five minutes later. Abhijit Tawhare received a pass from Saurabh Nikam in the 58th minute and managed to run around Arlangky Nongsiej before finishing past Nongkseh goalkeeper Wanteilang Malngiang to give Lakecity the lead.
Nongkseh continued searching for an equaliser, with Hardy coming close in the 70th minute when his attempt from the edge of the penalty area sailed just over the crossbar. Lakecity captain Altamash also threatened at the other end in the 74th minute, but his long-range effort narrowly missed the target.
Passions ran high throughout the game and referee Rajkumar Angousana Singh reached for his book on numerous occasions, with players from both teams guilty.
The contest became even more challenging for Nongkseh when Banraplang was sent off in the 76th minute, leaving the hosts with only nine players for the closing stages.
Lakecity’s disciplined defensive display and Hitendra’s goalkeeping ensured that the visitors held on to their narrow advantage until the final whistle.
Earlier in the day, Godavari FC went to the top of the group standings with a 3-1 win over Chhaygaon FC. Sharon Stellus (21′) struck from distance for Godavari but Abinash Shagolsem (29′) equalised for the team from Assam with a sensational left-footer minutes later. Syed Suhail Pasha (52′) and Yhoto Lohe (55′) then made all the difference early in the second half for Godavari. Suhail and Yhoto have five goals each in I-League 3, making them joint top scorers across all four groups.
The group action will conclude on Friday when Kuppuraj FC take on Chhaygaon at 9am in a fight for pride between the bottom-most sides, followed by Nongkseh’s clash against Godavari at 5pm. Nongkseh will have to win to stand any chance of qualifying for the final round.
