Likokmong (2) the captain of Shanen FC scoring the equalizer in the dying minutes of the match against Axios FC in the quarter-final match of the ongoing 29th Loyem Memorial Trophy at Parade Ground, Tuensang. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Tuensang | November 18
In the ongoing Loyem Memorial Trophy organized by the Confederation of Chang Students’ Union (CCSU) on November 18 at Parade Ground, Tuensang Shanen FC and Mülan FC registered their places in the semi-final.
In a David vs Goliath match up, Mülan FC delivered the biggest blow of the tournament by defeating a title contending team Paopong FC in the 4th quarter-final match.
Heavily touted as the team to reach the final, Paopong FC qualified for the quarter-final winning both their matches in their group quite comfortably.
Mülan FC scored early in the 2nd minute from a throw-in which was headed in by Yampi (15) who was later substituted with a head injury in the 85th minute.
In the 8th minute Tongpang, captain of Mülan pushed a player of Paopong inside their penalty box and referee T. Shellim awarded a penalty and a yellow card to the offender.
Yanshalo Kemp (11) walked up to shoot the penalty which was exceptionally thwarted off the target by the goalkeeper of Mülan Roko (1).
This new turn in the event re-energized the spirit of the men in yellow but was soon disappointed when their player handled a ball inside the box and this time Thangpong (10) made sure that scores are level and he converted it beautifully in the 13th minute.
There was flair and connection in the Paopong players who saw too many chances to score but the gutsy performance of the young Mülan players spoiled the party for the men in white and their fans. The score was leveled at 1-1 after a dramatic first-half.
In the second half, Paopong dominated the ball possession and launched attack continuously but failed to convert any chances. Their opponents who were mostly in their back gear and sat back deep to defend saw few chances to counter-attack. One such opportunity was grabbed by them and in the 50th minute Nungsang (29) scored to take the lead 2-1.
The match was poised for the underdogs to with another fast counter-attack from the left side of the wing, a ball lobbed perfectly from the midfield to Khumba (19) who did not miss to score. The goal was scored in the extra minutes of the regulated time and Mülan was already celebrating this unbelievable achievement. However, Paopong who were also relentless in their attempt to fight back managed to get one back, once again from the spot kick after Atu (14) of Mülan mistimed a tackle and the penalty was beautifully converted by Muthiu (7). The final whistle was blown at the re-start. Mülan won!! Fans delirious, pandemonium all around the ground. They will now face Shanen FC on Saturday.
Match officials were, referee T. Shellim, 1st assistant Aolen, 2nd assistant Jongshi and 4th official Nungsang.
In another match for the place in the semi-final, two spirited team tussled to wring out a win.
A first half which included bombarding each other with aerial attacks and lobbing balls, leaving the spectators on the edge of their seat as neither team dominated the pitch and it was an equal fight till the first half whistle.
In the regulated 90 minutes both teams were unable to find the target and the match went into extra time.
The first breakthrough came in the 91st minute for Shanen FC through an own goal from Sente Mongba (16). The score was levelled in the 126th minute for Axios FC after Opang (12) slotted it home and after just three minutes Opang scored his 2nd goal to extend the lead 2-1.
The clock was ticking and the final whistle was closing in, the match was about to end, Axios bench and fans were looking at the referee to blow the whistle but in the last few seconds, the captain of ShanenLikokmong (2) who is a center back ran up to the field and scored a beautiful solo goal to equalize and take the match in to a tie breaker.
Shanen FC won 4-3 over Axios FC in the penalty shoot-out and will take on Mülan FC on Saturday in the second semi-final.
Match officials were, referee N. Chuba, 1stassiatant P. Chelio, 2nd assistant L. Chaba and 4th official T. Chuba.
1st semi-final match on November 19
12:30 pm
Nyenshen FC Vs Freezing FC
