| Lajong FC, Shillong, sink to 1-3 defeat in second semis | ||
Guwahati, Dec 27 : Former champions Oil India Football Club, Duliajan, marched into the final of the 57th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy football tournament defeating Lajong FC, Shillong, 3-1 in the second flood-lit semi-final at Nehru Stadium here this evening. The first 30 minutes of the match was an evenly contested affair till it was interrupted for about 23 minutes because of a power failure and a drizzle. When the match resumed, the Duliajan men gained the upper hand and Durga Boro fashioned the lead in the 36th minute with a shot from inside the goalbox off a pass from Zaidin Hmar. Oil India led 1-0 at half time. In the second session, the Lajong players regrouped with an attempt to restore parity. However, they were soon punched onto the backfoot as Oil India’s foreign recruit Okwuelum Ezekiel ruffled the net with a spectacular shot off a Mintu Boro centre in the 49th minute. Conceding the second goal, the Lajong men once again went on the offensive and were successful in scoring a goal with Rocy Rameng Mawia finding the net with a header off a Niwa-o-Gatphom centre in the 62nd minute. The celebration in the Shillong bench was short lived as Durga Boro struck again for Oil India just one minute later. He pushed a well-placed ground pass from Mintu Boro into the D box to beat the opponent custodian R. Lalthuam Mawia with ease. Oil India could have won the match by a bigger margin if Durga Boro could have struck for more on two occasions in the last few minutes of the match. Oil India will now face Assam State Electricity Board SC, Guwahati, in the final on Sunday evening. ASEB yesterday defeated Assam Rifles, Tezpur, 3-1 in the first semi-final. |
