I-League Media Team

SHILLONG:  Kim Song Yong emerged as Royal Wahingdoh FC’s saviour of the day when his stoppage time goal saw the second Shillong Derby of the 2014-2015 Hero I-League season end in a 1-1 draw.

A brilliant 36th minute bicycle kick from Nim Dorjee Tamang – his first goal of the season – netted Lajong the lead, but substitute Kim scored the equaliser in the dying seconds of injury time.

The action began right from the starting whistle, with the Reds picking up a corner in the very first minute that saw Minchol Son’s header strike the crossbar.

Neither side wanted to lose this game, with more than 14,000 fans packing into the JN Stadium on a wet day that saw heavy rainfall hit the ground for a few minutes before the start of play.

That eagerness on the pitch translated into a number of fouls and referee Raktim Saha was forced to reach into his pocket to display yellow cards frequently. One dreaded red card also made its appearance, reducing SLFC to 10 men in the second half after Seiminlin Doungel was found guilty of a second bookable offence.

Lajong were the team that looked more energetic and composed in the first 45 minutes and they put their opponents under a lot of pressure, looking dangerous with each of their set-plays, of which they had several in the opposition half.

Wahingdoh’s best chance came in the 33rd minute when Lallawnzuala made a great run down the right side and his cross was executed perfectly. Unfortunately for the home team, Seityasen Singh was a little unbalanced as they ran to meet the ball and his header did not quite come off.

The next free-kick the Royals conceded proved costly as Lajong converted for the only goal of the game. Uilliams Souza Silva stepped up to take the kick on the right that was delivered into the box. A header by Minchol went straight up in the air but goalkeeper Nikhil Bernard and defender Loveday Okechukwu both tried to clear it for Wahingdoh. Their effort did not get enough clearance and Tamang’s display of acrobatics earned him a spectacular goal.

Worryingly for Lajong, they had to pull out captain Aiborlang Khongjee a few minutes later; the defender seemed to pull up with a hamstring injury, giving Samuel Shadap a chance on the big stage.

Surprisingly, Santosh Kashyap did not start with Kim, who has always looked the most active at the front for Wahingdoh.

The Korean was introduced a couple of minutes into the second session and his presence seemed to lift his team, who had been looking a little under the weather in the first half.

The action in the last 40 minutes of the close contest was mainly played in Lajong’s section of the pitch as the hosts threw everything they had at the men in red.

Credit to SLFC, however, as they managed to successfully rebuff every attacking move, marking the dangerous Kim to perfection, which forced RWFC to take a number of long-range shots that did not bear any fruit.

Doungel’s sending off just after 60 minutes made Lajong all the more defensive as they looked more eager to cling onto their slender lead that press for a second goal.

And with the minutes ticking by, it looked like they would be able to hang on for the win, giving them a measure of revenge after losing the first Derby at the start of the season 2-1.

Kim, however, did not read the script. Meeting a cross from the right the Korean’s forceful header saw the ball fly into the net, sending the massive crowd into raptures.