Shillong Lajong, Rangdajied face-off in Shillong Derby
Jamshedpur FC hope to get one over Indian Army FT this time around
Shillong/Jamshedpur, July 28: City rivals Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied FC will face each other in the intense Shillong Derby, which will be played on Tuesday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. Jamshedpur FC will hope to turn it around against Indian Army FT at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup.
The match in Jamshedpur will kick off at 4 pm, and the Shillong Derby will kick off at 7 pm. Both Shillong Lajong and Jamshedpur FC have started the tournament with victories against Malaysian Armed Forces and Tribhuvan Army FC, respectively.
All 43 matches of the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten 2 HD) and streamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform.
Shillong Lajong, last year’s semifinalists, got the better of Rangdajied FC with a 2-0 victory en route with the help of goals from current captain Kenstar Kharshong and Ronney Wilson, who has made the move to FC Goa. This win is important as Shillong Lajong made a run into the semi-finals, where they went down to eventual champions NorthEast United FC. They were rampant in the first group match, thrashing Malaysian Armed Forces 6-0 with Phrangki Buam and Everbrightson Sana scoring twice and Treimiki Lamurong and Deibormamae Tongper scoring one each.
The Red Dragons will hope to continue the same form against their city rivals. “Every match is important and a must-win game for us. Rangdajied is a strong side with many young and talented players, much like our own team. I believe it will be a good contest. A win will take us one step closer to the knockout stage,” said Birendra Thapa, head coach of Shillong Lajong”, said Shillong Lajong FC Head Coach Birendra Thapa.
On the other end, Rangdajied FC, who finished third in the Shillong Premier League (SPL), will look to get the better of their city rivals. Rangdajied lost both their SPL matches 1-2 to Lajong earlier in the season and will hope they put in a better performance in the Durand Cup.
Speaking ahead of the match, Rangdajied FC Head Coach Aibanjop Shadap said, “A derby match is always special, no matter where you are in the world. We will give our best on the field to make our fans proud and aim for a positive result. But we know it will be a tough game. Lajong is a strong side with the experience of playing in the I-League and are better than us in many aspects.”
In Jamshedpur, the Red Miners will look to better their performance from last year, where they were knocked out in the group stages after losing to Indian Army FT 2-3, after leading 2-0 at half time in the group decider. Jamshedpur have started the campaign with a 3-2 win over Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC with goals from Sarthak Goloui, Manvir Singh and Nikhil Barla. Khalid Jamil’s men will look to secure their second win in the group to move closer to the knockout stage.
