Shillong, Apr 12: After securing a vital point away at Mohammedan Sporting on 9th April, Langsning FC have returned to Shillong to take on the same opponents in the reverse leg of their Second Division campaign and will look to grab a victory against the Kolkata side tomorrow.
Kick-off for the Group C fixture is at 4PM. Tickets, ranging in price from Rs 20 to Rs 100, will go on sale from noon tomorrow at the SSA ticket counters in Polo Grounds.
Monday’s game was a goalless affair, but it gave confidence to Langsning that they were able to secure a point against a Mohammedan side that had won their previous two matches in Kolkata. They were able to withstand the pressure of the players as well as the weather, which was hot and humid. Ethiopian forward Fikru Teferra was a potential threat for Mohammedan, but the Langsning players were able to keep him quiet.
Prior to the 9th April fixture Langsning had beaten Jamshedpur FC reserves away 3-1. Now they return home and victory is a must.
Langsning are currently in second place in Group C with 8 points from five games. TRAU FC of Manipur are in the lead with 10 after coming from a goal down to beat Chennaiyin FC reserves 2-1 yesterday.
Mohammedan are in third place with 7 points but have a match in hand over Langsning, so a victory tomorrow for the hosts is absolutely vital for them in their drive to qualify for the final round of the competition.
“We had good performances in the two away matches, but we know that we have to keep going,” Langsning coach Hering Shangpliang said today. “The positive from the away games is that we had players who were previously injured (Reston Khriam, Ebormi Buam) come back to form and a young player in Stephanson Pale (the scorer of two goals) who was a gamechanger against Jamshedpur,” he added.
Shangpliang also encouraged the home fans to come out and support the Langsning players, as their presence in the stands can make all the difference.
(Photo contributed by Langsning FC)
