I-LEAGUE Media Team

SHILLONG: Godwin Franco’s first ever goal in Royal Wahingdoh FC colours saw his team beat Kingfisher East Bengal 1-0 in their rescheduled round nine match of the Hero I-League here on Tuesday.

A fantastic 30th minute strike put the hosts in front, while a later goal by Jackichand Singh was disallowed for offside. Although East Bengal left their hearts on the field, their efforts to score did not pay off.

The win lifts Wahingdoh, if only briefly, to the second spot in the standings, with 20 points, though Bengaluru FC have a chance to retake the position when they meet Sporting Clube de Goa later on.

Strong pressure was applied by the visiting side in the second half, but even Ranti Martins, who seems to never go a game without a goal, was unable to put the ball in the net for the Kolkata outfit.

The real action started in the fourth minute when two Wahingdoh players were brought down in quick succession. While the referee played advantage for the first, he blew his whistle for the second when the Royals’ skipper Densill Theobald was fouled just outside the box. Lalmangaihsanga’s free kick, however, just skirted over the crossbar.

Four minutes later it was the time for RWFC goalkeeper Prem Kumar Singh to pull off an excellent save after East Bengal were awarded a dangerous free kick on the right.

The Red and Golds suffered a blow later on when keeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury collided with Kim Song Yong and had to be stretchered off and replaced by Abhijit Mondal. A ball forward found Kim racing ahead of the KEB defenders after planning his run well and Chowdhury came out of the box to try and put off the Korean, who chipped the ball over but wide of the mark.

The only goal of the game came exactly on 30 minutes when Wahingdoh earned a corner. Jackichand Singh spotted a free and unmarked Franco outside the penalty box and the midfielder rocketed a right-footer that beat Mondal to his left.

Hero of the Match – Densill Theobald (RWFC)