Shillong, August 22: The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was packed with almost fifteen thousand fans who were cheering, shouting, chanting, and celebrating as Shillong Lajong FC clinched a historic victory over East Bengal FC in the quarterfinal match on Wednesday at the J.N. Stadium, Shillong.

The atmosphere inside the J.N. Stadium was loud, thrilling and exciting, filled with nail-biting, heart-stopping moments as fans were mostly on their feet, relieved that all the chances East Bengal created were off target.

The home side – Shillong Lajong, played a good game in the first half, but in the second half, the young lads struggled to keep up with the pace and pressure of the experienced Kolkata team. Shillong Lajong created a few chances in the early minutes of the second half, but East Bengal dominated ball possession. However, ball possession does not win games—scoring does. Lajong seized a golden opportunity and scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute.

The historic Shillong Lajong win should be credited to the home fans. If the match had been played in Kolkata as initially scheduled, the scoreline might have been different. The Shillong fans were amazing—goosebumps!

“The home crowd… the home crowd is amazing, and they have made all of us proud,” excitedly said Shillong Lajong General Secretary Larsing Ming Sawyan, who was among the home supporters.

Sawyan also said, “We already knew it would be a tough game… but we play to win.”

But the game was all about the home supporters. Their support was so impressive that the Shillong Lajong players will always remember this win.

And the East Bengal side will always remember that ‘one match in Shillong.’

With the win, Shillong Lajong is set to face NorthEast United in a North East Derby match on Sunday in Kolkata.

The venue will not favor either the Shillong or NorthEast fans, nor the Kolkata fans for that matter. Therefore, rumors have been spreading like wildfire that the Durand Cup organizers are reconsidering changing the venue from Kolkata to Shillong once again.

When trying to contact the tournament officials, the official word was, “There’s a rumor going around from the fans that the match may be in Shillong, but nothing official.”

Tens of thousands of fans are praying that this rumor turns out to be true—a NorthEast Derby match in Shillong in one of the oldest and biggest football tournaments in the country. Shillong football faithfuls better be ready with your red jerseys.

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