Shillong, Aug 6: Langsning FC produced a spirited second-half comeback to recover from a two-goal deficit and hold Nongkseh SS&CC to a 2-2 draw in an entertaining Group E clash of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.
The Shillong derby appeared to be slipping away from Langsning after first-half goals from Shano Tariang (29′) and captain Hardy Nongbri (38′) put Nongkseh in complete control. However, the hosts responded in stunning fashion immediately after the restart, with Mebanshngain Kurkalang (48′) and Syed Ahmed (50′) scoring within two minutes of each other to rescue a valuable point.
The result leaves both teams with a point each after an intense contest that lived up to the occasion.
Langsning began brightly and enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, using their pace, direct play and trademark long throws to unsettle the Nongkseh defence. Their first real opportunity arrived in the 17th minute when Nongkseh goalkeeper Guidle Syiemlieh was caught out of position, but Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw produced a superb goal-line clearance to keep the scores level.
Two minutes later, Syed Ahmed curled a spectacular effort into the top corner from outside the box, only for the assistant referee to raise the offside flag, denying Langsning what would have been a memorable opening goal.
The disallowed strike proved costly as Nongkseh took the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute. Nongkseh broke the deadlock in the 29th minute with a superbly constructed team move. Captain Hardy Nongbri collected the ball near the centre-line on the left before embarking on a spirited run, dribbling past three Langsning defenders. Reaching the edge of the penalty area, he slipped a perfectly timed pass to Aenam Jyrwa on the left. Aenam drove towards the byline and into the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper Rajat Paul Lyngdoh off his line in an attempt to close down the angle. Just then, Aenam squared a weighted pass across the face of goal to the unmarked Shano Tariang, who calmly tapped home from close range to give Nongkseh a 1-0 lead.
Nongkseh doubled their advantage nine minutes later through captain Hardy Nongbri. Picking up the ball near the edge of the penalty area, Sheen unleashed a powerful strike that forced Rajat Paul Lyngdoh into a fine diving save to his left. The goalkeeper managed to get both hands to the ball but failed to hold onto it, and Hardy reacted quickest to the rebound, arriving ahead of the Langsning defenders to slot the loose ball into the net from close range.
Langsning nearly reduced the deficit before the break, but Chesterpoul Lyngdoh came to Nongkseh’s rescue with another outstanding goal-line clearance to preserve the visitors’ two-goal cushion.
Langsning emerged from the interval with renewed urgency and were rewarded almost immediately. Chusrang Sangma’s long throw into the goal area created confusion inside the penalty area, allowing Mebanshngain Kurkalang to execute a terrific header that saw the ball fly over the goalkeeper and into the net in the 48th minute, reducing the deficit to just one goal.
Just two minutes later, Langsning were level. Wadajied Kynsai Ryngkhlem delivered an inviting cross into the penalty area and Syed Ahmed timed his run perfectly before powering a header past the goalkeeper to complete a remarkable comeback.
The quickfire goals transformed the contest into an open affair, with both sides pushing for a winner. Langsning continued to threaten from set-pieces, while Nongkseh looked dangerous on the counter-attack.
The closest either side came to snatching all three points arrived deep into stoppage time when Hardycliff Nongbri’s header drifted narrowly wide of the post.
After a match filled with momentum swings, goal-line clearances and two dramatic second-half goals in as many minutes, the points were ultimately shared in a pulsating Shillong derby.
