Gangtok, Jan 18: Nongkseh Sports Social and Cultural Club booked their place in the final of the 11th All India Chief Minister’s Gold Cup International Football Tournament after winning local side Red Panda FC 1–0 at Jorethang in South Sikkim on Sunday.
The lone goal of the match was scored by Sheen Stevenson Sohktung, which proved enough to send the Champion of Shillong into the tournament’s final.
Nongkseh took the field with their regular starting eleven, with captain Hardy Cliff Nongbri returning from injury to lead the side.
The first half saw a balanced contest, with both teams creating chances but failing to convert. Red Panda FC came close from a free kick, only for the ball to strike the woodwork, much to the relief of Nongkseh amid pressure from the home crowd.
The match took a decisive turn when Red Panda FC were reduced to 10 men less than 10 minutes later. Their left-back was shown a red card after elbowing Nongkseh player Khraw Kupar Jana, an incident spotted by the linesman and brought to the referee’s attention. Khraw Kupar suffered a bleeding lip but continued to play till the final whistle.
After the break, Nongkseh pressed hard against the 10-man Red Panda side. However, the hosts adopted a deep defensive approach in an attempt to take the match into a tie-breaker.
Nongkseh head coach Richardson Nongneng then made a key substitution, bringing on Chesterpaul Lyngdoh for Shano Tariang. The move paid immediate dividends as Chesterpaul delivered a precise cross into the box. Sheen Stevenson Sohktung controlled the ball calmly before smashing it into the roof of the net to score the decisive goal.
Khraw Kupar Jana was awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant performance.
Nongkseh will play the final on January 22 against either BSF (Jalandhar) or Sudeva FC (Delhi), who are set to face each other in the second semifinal tomorrow.
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