I-League: Aizawl FC script history, become first northeast club to win title
Unheralded Aizawl FC Lifted The I-League Crown On Sunday After They Held Shillong Lajong 1-1 In A Tense Match In Shillong.
In one of the biggest achievements in Indian football history, unheralded Aizawl FC lifted the I-League crown on Sunday after they held Shillong Lajong 1-1 in a tense match in Shillong. Lajong went ahead in the ninth minute through A Dipanda but Aizawl equalised in the 67th minute through W Lalnunfela as the two sides split points in a highly-anticipated match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Despite Mohun Bagan defeating Chennai City FC 2-1 in a simultaneous match in Kolkata, Aizawl ran away with the title to script a fairytale story. Aizawl ended the league on 37 points while Mohun Bagan finished second on 36. They have won the I-League title in their second season, becoming the first club from the Northeast to bag the title. It was, in fact, the Leicester moment for the Aizawl side as their fortunes turned around in just a matter of a year after they were on the verge of relegation from the I-League last season. Aizawl would not have at all played in the I-League this season as they finished eighth last year but after a few Goan sides pulled out of the country's top-flight league, they got a lifeline to stay afloat. Their feat is comparable to the unheralded English Premier League side Leicester which won the title in 2015-16 season after they were on the verge of relegation the previous year. A club whose budget is just around Rs 2 crore (Mohun Bagan spend the same amount in buying Sony Norde), it's an achievement of enormous proportion. The match, the Northeast derby, was though not without controversy as Aizawl played under protest after finding out that the title-deciding game would be conducted by officials from Bengal. Aizawl protested because Kolkata side Mohun Bagan were also in title contention and playing a simultaneous match. The Northeastern club said that they have earlier requested the AIFF to appoint neutral match officials from other states.
For all the Latest Sports News News, Football News News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
More from Sports News
Who Is The Greatest T20 Player Ever?Â
Winning The WWE Royal Rumble rule is the later one goes, the fresher he/she is says Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Kerala HC Lifts Ban: Online Rummy is a Game of Skill, Playing for Stakes or is not relevant
Women Hockey Stick ‘Rani 28’, set for the auction at the official website 'PM Mementos'
Pramod Bhagat's Badminton Racquet all set for the e-auction at the base price Rs.80,00,000