I-League: Last-gasp winner helps Aizawl past Arrows

Indian Arrows next faces former champion Punjab FC on December 16, while Aizawl FC will host reigning champion Chennai City FC on December 17.

Published : Dec 09, 2019 22:44 IST , Vasco

Aizwal's win against Indian Arrows is the first of its season.
Aizwal's win against Indian Arrows is the first of its season.
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Aizwal's win against Indian Arrows is the first of its season.

Aizawl FC overcame a spirited young Indian Arrows 2-1 to register its first win of the I-League season at the Tilak Maidan here on Monday.

The Mizoram side took the lead through William Lalnunfela and snatched the win in the stoppage time through Joe Zoherliana after Vikram Partap Singh had equalised for the host.

On a quest for its first win, both sides kicked-off the proceedings with an intent to press hard. The young Arrows, with structured movement, began the game with neat passes across the pitch.

Aizawl, on the other hand, displayed fine defensive solidarity — with Juuko Kassaga being a towering figure throughout the game, constantly frustrating the likes of Vikram and Harmanpreet.

In the 31st minute, a beautifully lobbed pass by Rochharzela was chested down by Abdoulaye Kanoute and the Malian forward had a crack on goal but was denied in spectacular fashion by Samik Mitra.

Minutes before the break, a miscued headed clearance by Ajin Tom fell to the feet of Kanoute but he squandered the golden opportunity to put Aizawl ahead, as his effort went wide off the mark.

In the second half, the Arrows nearly found an opening when Vikram was brought down by Kassaga inside the box, but referee Rosario Fernandes waved away all appeals for a penalty.

However, it was Aizawl who took the lead in the 64th minute. In an attempt to clear a cross from Isak Vanlalruatfela, Saurabh Meher deflected the delivery to the path of William Lalnunfela and the substitute made no mistake tapping it in.

Venkatesh’s side displayed great character and started dictating the tempo of the game. It was duly rewarded when Vikram ran through on goal and made no mistake in earning a well-deserved equaliser for the Arrows.

However, all of Indian Arrows’ good work was undone. With four minutes added on, Aizawl continued to overload the final third. Lalnunfela broke through on the right inside the Arrows’ box and delivered a measured cross which was met by a leaping Joe Zoherliana with his head, to seal a dramatic 2-1 win for Stanley Rozario’s side.

With the victory, Aizawl moves to third place in the table with four points while Indian Arrows remains at the bottom with two losses from as many games.

Indian Arrows next faces former champion Punjab FC on December 16, while Aizawl FC will host reigning champion Chennai City FC on December 17.

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