AGENCIES, SHILLONG: A solitary goal from Fabio was enough to see Shillong Lajong Football Club beat Salgaocar Football Club 1-0 in an I-League clash the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here, on Thursday.
The hosts made two changes to the side that lost 3-0 to Bengaluru FC with Tamang and Pritam Singh making way for Samuel Shadap and Yusuke Yamagata.
Meanwhile, the Goan outfit made three changes as Augustin Fernandes, Keenan Almeida and Calvin Mbarga were replaced by Reagan Singh, Saran Singh and Nicolau Colaco.
The away side had the first sight at goal in the opening few minutes as Jackichand Singh darted forward and crossed for Seityasen Singh, whose header went wide.
Darryl Duffy then came agonizingly close in the 10th minute as he skied his effort from close range with Vishal Kaith out of position.
Karanjit Singh however, rescued Salgaocar at the other end as Uilliams’ free-kick in the 28th minute produced a fine save from the visiting custodian.
Saran found space for himself on the edge of the box a couple of minutes later but his left-footed strike went wide of the far post as the game remained goalless at half-time.
Shillong Lajong made an early breakthrough three minutes into the second period. A free-kick found Fabio inside the box and the Brazilian finished with aplomb to give the home team the lead.
In the 57th minute, a delightful ball from Jackichand was crying out for someone to apply the finishing touch but Duffy was unable to get there in time.
The away side continued to pile on the pressure and were unlucky to strike the frame of the goal in the 70th minute. Gilbert Oliveira’s shot looked destined for the back of the net but smashed against the crossbar instead.
It was the Lajong however, that had a few chances right at the death. Bipin Singh managed to direct his header from close range off target in the 87th minute before Penn Orji’s shot from distance forced Karanjit into a save.
Deep into stoppage time, the away team’s custodian had another opportunity to shine. Fabio’s header right in front of the goal was somehow kept out by an acrobatic Karanjit save.
The game ended 1-0 to the hosts who secured their first win of the season while Salgaocar’s problems compounded as they still search for their first point.
