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Shillong Lajong FC will look to carry on the winning momentum when they clash against East Bengal Club on Saturday, December 9 in the I-League at the Barasat Stadium at 5:30pm. The match will telecast live on Star Sports 2/Star Sports 2 HD, Hotstar and Jio TV.
Shillong Lajong FC enjoyed two back to back victories at home; against Gokulam Kerala (1-0) and Churchill Brothers (2-0). They have also maintained a clean sheet thanks to some good goalkeeping by youngster Phurba Lachenpa and commendable performances by the defensive combination of Laurence Doe, Juho Oh, Rakesh Pradhan, Novin Gurung and Kynsailang Khongsit.
The goals thus far have come from their Academy products namely, Redeem Tlang and Samuel Lyngdoh Kynshi. Both scored in the second match while in the first game, the solitary goal was as a result of an own goal after Alen Deory’s shot was deflected towards the back of the net.
The creative teamwork of Daniel Odafin and Hardycliff Nongbri in midfield has been exceptional and skipper Samuel Lalmuanpuia has lived up to captain duties, kept the team together well and has delivered a brilliant performance as a linkman upfront.
Crossing over, in the last season of the I-League when East Bengal hosted Lajong FC in Siliguri on February 15, both teams played a 1-1 draw. Lajong FC had picked up a point from this away fixture last season and Samuel Lalmuanpuia was the goal provider.
This season, the Kolkata outfit has appointed Khalid Jamil as the head coach and were very busy in the transfer market as they brought in many new fresh faces in the squad. They roped in Syrian midfielder Mahmoud Al-Amnah from Aizawl FC, Katsumi Yusa and Eduardo Ferreira from Mohun Bagan, Charles De Souza and Richard Costa from Chennai City FC and Churchill Brothers respectively. Other notable signings include defender Salam Ranjan Singh from Bengaluru FC, Lalramchullova and Laldanmawia from Aizawl FC.
The Kolkata giants finished third last season with 33 points.
Shillong Lajong FC Head Coach Bobby Nongbet shared his views on the last two games and what is expected from the upcoming game.
“Winning our last two matches at home has build confidence in the team. Playing away from home is expected to be very challenging and especially with the reputation of East Bengal. But we have gained the momentum and are ready for the challenge to perform well.”
Lajong FC is currently second with six points from two games and Coach Bobby Nongbet is impressed with the team’s performances in the last two matches. “We always want the young players as well as the foreigners to learn from every game. They have performed well so far and we need to be consistent.”
East Bengal lost to archrivals Mohun Bagan by one goal in the Kolkata derby last Sunday. Khalid Jamil’s side is expected to bounce back by giving a top-notch performance against a young Lajong FC side in tomorrow’s match.
Coach Bobby is aware of the threat and commented on the Kolkata side by saying, “East Bengal has good local as well foreign players. They are a very tough and experienced side. We will go into this match giving extra efforts and give our 100 percent in order to gain three points.”
“The team has prepared well for this game and we are ready to put up a good fight!”
