Under Alison Kharsyntiew, Shillong, who opted for youth as against foreign recruits this season, find themselves at the bottom of the 11-team league. They have suffered nine losses and have conceded a whopping 33 goals so far – the highest in the league!

Their only win (against Aizawl in October 2018) seems like ages ago. Shillong have been on the receiving end of two 6-1 drubbings this season – a fact which highlights their predicament.

They also had lost their previous away game against Arrows. Arrows, on the other hand, have been impressive throughout with the team seemingly hungry for success. Of course credit must go to coach Floyd Pinto for shaping a resilient and competitive side.

Also the inclusion of U-16 youngsters Vikram Pratap Singh and Rohit Danu has given them the much needed attacking zest to blend in with their organised defence and midfield.

“Shillong Lajong play good attacking football. Any game between the two elite youth clubs is going to be tough. Both the teams will be giving their 100 per cent. We scored in our last game but it was pretty close. Our aim will be to get the three points. The game tomorrow will be totally different because both the teams are having young players. These kinds of matches give them a platform to play with good players and bigger football clubs,” said Pinto.

Arrows have beaten the likes of Aizawl, Gokulam and Shillong and have given the stronger teams (read: East Bengal and Minerva Punjab) a run for their money. Shillong too have had their positives. They have scored 13 goals to Arrows’ five — a fact which showcases their attacking prowess.

Midfielder Phrangki Buam —  one of the finds of the season — is among the highest scorers in the league with four goals. Shillong’s young brigade will be wanting to avenge their previous loss to Arrows on Sunday.

Kharsyntiew was optimistic about his team’s chances at the pregame press conference: “We have scored 13 goals and conceded 33. The most important thing for the boys is to attack in the defence. If our defence is good we can defeat any team. The boys are ready for tomorrow’s match they will go all out and give their 100 percent. The players have worked really hard in the training and our aim is to get the three points. Indian Arrows is a good team they have good players like Boris. Their game is very intense with immense speed, our defence and mid field have to cope up to their speed.”

Also Read: HERO I-LEAGUE: Bagan down Minerva to stay alive in title race

Also Read: Tricky but still very possible! A look at India’s Knockout round chances 

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Though the win improves Bagan’s chances of a top-half finish they still have an outside chance to win the 12th Hero I-League title.

Egyptian midfielder Omar El Hussieny converted a penalty in the first-half while Cameroonian striker Dipanda Dicka scored in the second. This is Bagan’s fifth win of the season.

Jamil’s team consolidate their hold on sixth spot in the league table.

Minerva on the other hand are stuck on seventh with hopes of a title defence looking improbable.

Jamil played Gurjinder and Dalraj (defence) and Abhishek Ambekar (left-back) and kept Arijit Bagui and Ugandan forward Henry Kisekka on the bench. Dicka was the lone striker while Sony Norde played on the left wing.

Minerva coach Paul Munster played Yu Kuboki and Prabhjot Singh upfront due to the unavailability of William Opoku.

Bagan despite dominating possession couldn’t find a way past Minerva in the first-half. The visitors at times defended with nine men in their own half!

The home team broke the deadlock when Omar El Hussieny scored from the spot at the halfway mark.

The Kolkata outfit’s strategy of holding on to possession caused Minerva problems in the second-half.

It worked when Dicka beat goalkeeper Bhaskar Roy (and the off-side trap!) to score Bagan’s second goal in the 69th minute. Norde’s through-ball in the build-up to the goal was worth a mention!

Roy’s fantastic save off El Hussieny ensured that Minerva didn’t concede again.

The second-half introduction of Moinuddin, Dilliram Sanyasi and Makan Winkle Chote didn’t make a difference for Minerva.

Bagan host Neroca FC in two days’ time while Minerva have a 10-day break before their game against Gokulam Kerala at home.

Also Read: MDFA ELITE DIVISION: Banky shines as Sellebrity gun down FSI

Also Read: HERO I-LEAGUE: Experience to the fore as East Bengal edge out Arrows

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Manzi scored in the eighth, 59th and 80th minutes to cancel out Mudde Musa (17th minute) and Joel Sunday’s (38th minute) goals for Gokulam. It may be noted that both sides were reduced to 10 men at the end of the first half.

Chennai dominated possession and took advantage of the extra space which had opened up in the second half. With this win, Chennai move to 24 points from eleven games and are three clear of Neroca FC at the top of the standings. 

Gokulam remain at eighth…their title hopes well and truly buried!  They adopted physical tactics to stop the marauding Spaniards of Chennai and it seemed to have worked initially. Despite the Kerala outfit taking a lead into the break the hosts later clawed their way back in the second half.

Coach Bino George selected Joel Sunday and Rajesh in place of Fabricio Ortiz (out for a card offence) and Pritam Singh. The hosts made one change as they brought back Romario Jesuraj for Vijay.

Chennai took the lead in the eighth minute when Manzi’s first-time volley bounced and eluded keeper Shibinraj. Though defender Abhishek Das tried to clear off the line it still went onto the roof of the Gokulam net!

Gokulam equalized nine minutes later as Musa’s reflex shot bulged the roof of the Chennai net. The Kerala outfit soon earned a penalty as Marton Eugene was judged to have handled the ball inside the box.

Though Sunday, after having scored off a penalty in the previous game, missed this time around (thanks to a fine save by Santana) he still hit home on the rebound to score his third goal of the campaign.

Also, Gokulam’s Jayaraj and Chennai’s Pandiyan Srinivasan got into a needless scuffle and were promptly sent off just before half-time.

Chennai upped the ante in the second-half while Gokulam’s Christian Sabah missed a golden chance to score. And as Sandro hit the side netting in the 58th minute…Chennai knew they were getting closer to a goal!

A minute later, Manzi struck his second (and ninth in the league) goal as he shrugged off Abhishek Das to head over Shibinraj into the Gokulam goal. Chennai were back on level terms!

Manzi got his hat-trick in the 80th minute when he pounced on the rebound ahead of a defender and drilled it into the Gokulam net. With that goal he became top-scorer in the league with 10 goals so far.

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Kerala have lost three of their last four games which also includes a shock loss away to Indian Arrows. Their coach Bino George would be wary of the fact that they last won a game in the previous year (in the third week of November). In contrast, Chennai — the most accomplished side in the current tournament — deservedly hold the top spot.

Their rampant run seemed to have ended when they dropped four points in two games. But they quickly got back on track with a 6-1 victory against Shillong in their previous game.  That would surely be a confidence booster for Friday’s game.

Also, Gokulam can take positives from their spirited 2-3 loss to Chennai in a previous fixture. Chennai gaffer Akbar Nawas will look no further than his band of brilliant Spaniards who have scored 18 of their 22 goals scored so far. Pedro Manzi is the leader in the scoring charts with seven goals (which includes two hat-tricks) while Nestor Jesus has scored six so far.

“I think Gokulam is a strong team. Whenever they play anywhere, they will go all out to make sure that the game is competitive. Whatever happened in the last game, it is very difficult to reference it, because they might change their tactics, their strategies might change players. We have to be aware of what comes,” said Nawas said at the pre-game press conference.

Along with Neroca and Shillong both teams play their 11th game (of the season). It also begins their second and final league round. George knows his team is one good win away from getting their title aspirations back on track. He may take heart from the brilliant comeback they mounted against Aizawl in their last game.

Despite showering praise on their opponents, George seemed in no mood to give an inch in the pre-game media chat: “There are some game planners in their team, like Nestor and Sandro, who are creating goals for the strikers but our team are playing good. Even last time we played each other, we were both balanced teams.”

He can take heart that new recruit Joel Sunday opened his account with a brace in the same game. Chennai would want to guard against any kind of complacency and will go all out to garner three points at home. Of course they know that things would only get tougher as the business end of the tournament draws nearer.

Do expect a cracker of a game under lights!

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