Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 21: Real Kashmir scripted another late comeback victory in the I-League here on Tuesday, getting the better of Aizawl FC 2-1.
After a goalless first half and a drab first half-an-hour of the second half, the game sprang to life with Aizawl taking the lead in the 75th through Lalramsanga.
But the hosts scored twice in the space of five minutes to turn the tie around. Jestin George found the equaliser in the 79th minute, before Samuel Kynshi scored the winner in the 84th minute.
Real Kashmir could have taken the lead in the seventh minute but Kynshi’s right-footed free-kick from just outside the Aizawl box did not swing in enough and hit near post before going out.
Kynshi also tried to curl in a right-footer through the far post in the 18th minute, but it went wide.
Aizawl goalkeeper Lalmuansanga’s uneasiness with the aerial ball became clear in the second half and eventually destroyed his team’s hopes.
It first came to the fore in the 60th minute. Jestin George came up with one of those long throw-ins from the left flank and Lalmuansanga completely missed the flight. Fortunately for him, Real Kashmir’s Balwinder Singh, waiting in front of the goal, missed it too.
The Aizawl custodian was once again out of position six minutes later as George crossed into the box. Winger R Ramdinthara failed to clear, and the ball went to Akashdeep on the left. His shot was saved from the goalline by Aizawl’s Japanese defender Akito Saito.
But it seemed none of those defensive lapses would matter when Lalramsanga scored. Lalchhanhima Sailo received a pass from the right and played a nice one-two with Lalramsanga, who fired a grounded strike into the corner of the net with his left foot.
But the joy did not last long as four minutes later, Lalmuansanga spilled Wadudu Yakubu’s innocuous lob from far, in spite of the fact that nobody was pressing on him. George was close by and calmly used his left foot to make it 1-1.
Real Kashmir settled the issue in the 84th minute as left-back Akashdeep moved into the Aizawl box and managed to cut it back for Kynshi, while two defenders were left watching.
This time Lalmuansanga was right there at the first post, but Kynshi’s right-footer was too powerful and too high for him.
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