Shillong, Oct 22: Godavari FC came out on top in an eight-goal thriller, defeating Lakecity FC 5-3 in the opening Group C fixture of I-League 3 at the SSA Football Stadium in Shillong on Thursday.
Yhoto Lohe and Syed Suhail Pasha scored twice each, while substitute Ansil Rasheed added a late fifth goal for Godavari. Lakecity fought back through Atharva Basavra Charki, captain Altamash Sayed and Arshad P, but their attacking efforts were not enough to prevent defeat.
Lakecity started brightly, putting Godavari under pressure in the opening 15 minutes with energetic attacking play. However, they struggled to convert several promising opportunities into goals.
Their early pressure paid off in the 24th minute when Atharva rose above the defence to head home a corner delivered by Altamash, giving Lakecity the lead.
Godavari responded almost immediately. In the 26th minute, Jangminthang Haokip collected a pass from V Sunil before playing the ball to Yhoto, who moved quickly to beat Lakecity goalkeeper Hitendra Singh and restore parity.
Godavari took the lead in the 34th minute through Suhail. V Sunil collected a long pass, worked his way past defenders inside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot that Hitendra could only parry. Suhail reacted quickest to the rebound and fired the ball into the net despite a defender’s attempt to intervene.
Yhoto then completed his brace in the 41st minute. Sunil carried the ball into the penalty area from the left and sent it across the defence. After a slight deflection off a defender, the ball fell near the goal line, where Yhoto arrived first to tap it home and give Godavari a 3-1 advantage.
Lakecity nearly pulled one back before the interval when another Altamash corner found Atharva, who rose highest to connect with a powerful header. This time, however, the effort struck the woodwork.
Godavari extended their lead in the 59th minute with one of the outstanding goals of the match. Suhail collected a clearance from inside his own penalty area and drove forward from near the halfway line, taking the ball towards the edge of Lakecity’s box. With only one defender to beat, he unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from inside the penalty area, sending the ball into the top-left corner.
Lakecity refused to give up and reduced the deficit in the 72nd minute through Altamash. A clearance by Godavari substitute D Vishal fell straight to the Lakecity captain. Altamash made no mistake, unleashing a powerful strike from well outside the penalty area that flew into the right side of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Lakshay M with little chance to react.
Six minutes later, Lakecity struck again. Abhijit Tawhare carried the ball past the Godavari defence before finding Arshad P, who reacted quickly and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper to make it 4-3.
With Lakecity pushing for an equaliser, the contest remained open until stoppage time. Godavari finally put the result beyond doubt in the 90+5th minute when Suhail set up substitute Ansil Rasheed, who put the call in the net from the edge of the penalty area to complete the 5-3 victory.
Despite the defeat, Lakecity showed considerable attacking intent, particularly through their set-pieces and quick combinations. Their inability to convert key chances proved costly as Godavari made better use of their opportunities to secure all three points.
The Group C action will continue later in the evening, with Shillong-based Nongkseh Sports, Social & Cultural Club set to take on Kuppuraj FC at 5 pm at the same venue.
