The home side dominated the first half in terms of possession as well as the number of attempts on goal. The first chance for them came in the 7th minute when Chencho lofted the ball for Bali who was on the run at the edge of the penalty box but the pace in ball was just too much for him to have a contact.

Chencho tried his luck in the 11th minute with a dummy rank near the box before unleashing his shot which sailed over the crossbar. William got another chance in the 27th minute when he found himself in an excellent position to score from Kamalpreet’s pinpointed cross but his effort went inches wide of the goalpost.

Aizawl, meanwhile, almost took the lead against the run of play when in-form striker Lalkhawpuimawia missed an opportunity to convert an immaculate cross from Ionescu in the 37th minute. Minutes later, Chencho missed a header to leave the Aizawl dugout relieved. William missed arguably the easiest one-on-one opportunity against Avilash Paul but his horrible chip went wayward before the referee blew the half-time whistle.

Minerva took a lead early on in the second half when a brilliant combination play between William, Chencho and Akash resulted in the first goal of the match, incidentally, it was the first goal by the youngster in the premier league of the country.

Chencho was left open on the right flank from where he crossed the ball low towards the path of local boy Akash who made no mistake in converting from 6 yards out. Aizawl almost scored an own goal in the 63rd minute when Sukhdev’s long throw shook Aizawl’s defence.

A series of injuries to both teams interrupted the flow of play since then. Aizawl had a chance in the 75th minute when Ionescu made his way inside the Minerva box but his powerless shot was blocked by Minerva defenders. Minerva Punjab Goalkeeper made a brilliant save in the 85th minute to keep the scoreline unscathed after a series of deflection seriously threatened Minerva’s defence. Minerva hit the final nail in Aizawl FC’s coffin in the last minute of added time when Bazie, who was introduced to the game only two minutes before, converted William’s cross from handshaking distance.

With the win, Minerva Punjab go one point clear at the top having played one match less than second-placed NEROCA FC. The Punjab-outfit will now travel to Coimbatore to face Chennai City FC on March 2, 2018 whereas the reigning champions Aizawl FC will host Gokulam Kerala FC on the same day.

Also Read: FC Pune City breaks into ISL playoff for first time

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Aizawl managed to garner 25 points from the possible 27 points at home last season but the new season doesn’t look to provide a similar start to the I-League champions.

In a hard-fought encounter in Aizawl, Lajong’s Khasi winger Redeem Tlang scored the only goal in the 60 minute of the game to which Aizawl couldn’t find a reply as Lajong secured their third win of the season. The win gives Shillong Lajong FC the much needed three points and with this win, they move to the second position in the league table equal on points with leaders Minerva Punjab FC but have played one game more than the league leaders.

The home side made only one change to the team that faced Churchill Brother as Lalbiak Thanga filled the gap left by injured David Rinmuana. Lajong’s Coach Nongbet made two change, captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia and Alen Deory were replaced in the starting XI by Shaibor Karpan and Kynsailang Khongsit respectively.

Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, also known as the fortress for Aizawl FC saw the diminutive, yet lively winger H.Lalmuankima steal the ball at the halfway line and sent a delightful pass to Kobayashi only for the Japanese to waste his golden chance. Kobayashi was alone in the box with no pressure from the Lajong boys but still couldn’t find the back of the net.

The match was not played at the tempo the fans would have expected, both teams found it hard to carve out goalscoring chances. Just after the half-hour mark, Yemenese midfielder Al-Hagri danced past Aizawl’s Saighani and Kareem but his weak shot was collected easily by goalkeeper Avilash Paul, Al Hagri was given another gem of a chance but again his poor finishing let him down. After an array of chances in the first 45 minutes, the score stood at 0-0 at the end of the first half.

Both teams started the second half brightly but it was the away team who scored the first goal of the match. Al Hagri’s shot inside the box was blocked by the Aizawl’s boys but the ball fell to Khasi winger Redeem Tlang, who calmly curled the ball towards the far side of the net and scored his second league goal of the season. Tlang again got a chance but the winger’s effort was heroically palmed away by the Aizawl FC goalkeeper.

Menezes introduced Romanian attacker Andrei Ionescu at 67 minutes but the substitution was in vain as Andrei had little effect on the game. H.Lalmuankima penalty appeal was not given by referee Om Prakash Thakur and a few moments later Kobayshi’s shot flew just over the crossbar.

Aizawl now in 6^th place has played 3 games and has managed 4 points along the way. Aizawl will welcome high-flying and league leader Minerva Punjab FC in their last home game of the year on 27 December. Lajong will play their second Northeast Derby against Hero I-League debutant Manipuri club NEROCA FC on 23 December 2017.

Also Read: SAFF U15 Women’s Championship: India beat Bhutan 3-0

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Defending champions Aizawl FC got the better of Churchill Brothers FC Goa 1-0, thanks to the late strike by the forward Yugo Kobayashi. Although the Aizawl FC fans had to wait till the 88th minute for the goal, the game provided enough of nervy and heart pumping moments to them.

William Lalnunfela, who scored a brace for Aizawl against Kingfisher East Bengal was the notable absentee against Churchill Brothers. Shylo Malsawmtluanga, the most experienced player in the squad again had to sit out today meaning he will have to wait longer to make his debut for Aizawl FC in I-League.

Churchill coach Shevchenko made three changes to his playing XI that faced Mohun Bagan in their previous match. Suraj and Israil Gurung took the field as Karthik Govindswamy and Emuejeraye Precious failed to retain their place in the starting line-ups. The home side did not waste time in carving out their first chance of the match. Centre back Saighani perfectly weighted a through ball which was chased down by Mka to deliver a perfect cross for Ivorian forward Dodoz, but the forward who have played for Aizawl’s rival Chanmari FC earlier could not convert his golden chance.

His header was parried away by Churchill goalkeeper Kithan. Japanese forward Kobayashi’s shot from inside the box was blocked by centre-back Osagie Monday a few seconds later. Though Aizawl dominates possession for the better part of the first half, they could not create any clear-cut chance, injury to David dented the home team as they lacked creativity and ideas in the attacking third of the pitch. The first half ended in a scoreless draw.

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After the hour-mark, the home side upped the tempo of the game and created several good chances but Yugo Kobayashi could not convert the chances that fell on his path. Just when Churchill thought they deserved a point from the game Kobayashi scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute. Having calmly tucked in Dodoz’s pass calmly, the shrewd forward slotted the solitary goal of the match.

Towards the end of the game, six additional minutes fell short for Churchill Brothers who are still left empty-handed after three straight losses in the ongoing season. Aizawl with 4 points from 2 games now move up to the fifth spot on the table but Churchill Brothers FC Goa’s nightmare continues as the Red Machines continue to totter at bottom of the table.

The Goan team have to quickly shrug off the loss as they travel to Kolkata to play the high-flying Kingfisher East Bengal on December 16, 2017. Aizawl will play their next home game against Shillong Lajong two days later

Also Read: Mumbai City FC announce special tickets for visiting away fans

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