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Nongdamba Naorem’s ‘wonder goal’ papers over Shillong Lajong’s poor show in I-League
Indian Arrows celebrated a special strike from Nongdamba Naorem in their big I-League win, but Shillong Lajong were a team in disarray, which led to the 0-3 rout.
On Tuesday, Indian Arrows surprised football circles when they stunned Shillong Lajong FC 3-0 in their I-League clash at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi.
Arrows produced a thoroughly dominant performance against Shillong Lajong in all departments in a battle between the two youngest teams in the I-League.
READ | Indian Arrows stun Shillong Lajong 3-0 to register 2nd I-League win
It was Indian Arrows’ best performance of the season, with assistant coach Floyd Pinto displaying tactical acumen in the absence of head coach Luis Norton de Matos.
However, the win itself became secondary when videos of Nongdamba Naorem’s goal, Arrows’ second, began circulating on social media.
The pacy attacker from Manipur drifted in from the left flank and beat five opposing players, as well as the goalkeeper, to score.
“I have seen the replay many times. It is a dream come true for me. I scored a similar goal while playing for Minerva U-16 but this is definitely special because it came in the I-league... among the many congratulatory messages I got, the one that is special is that of (India player) Gourmangi Singh,” Naorem said.
It was a moment to savour for Nongdamba Naorem, who had made a similar run, without success, during India’s 3-0 defeat to USA in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October.
The Indian social media soon declared it the goal of the season. It didn’t stop there. There were even some comparisons with Lionel Messi!
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While there is no doubting Nongdamba’s pace and trickery, which played a crucial role in the goal, reaction to it has helped the Shillong Lajong defence escape harsh scrutiny.
While Lajong struggled to control the game, barring a few minutes at the start of the second half, the second goal more or less summed up the disorganised, and at times careless, performance by the Northeastern side.
As Nongdamba cut in, Novin Gurung was in fact seen stepping away from the player and the ball, presumably in the hope that Sheen Stevenson would make a tackle. The latter made a feeble attempt, allowing Nongdamba to beat him due to the space created by Novin.
Juho Oh was the only player who attempted something resembling a challenge. Despite not having any other player to mark, the South Korean defender was slow to react and seemed reluctant to tackle.
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Daniel Odafin then was caught ball-watching, never making any attempt to cover up space. Another senior player in the Shillong Lajong side, Laurence Doe, only stretched his leg despite a chance to tackle and take away the ball.
Doe got a faint touch, but it ended up clearing Nongdamba’s path to the goal.
There is no questioning the talent of the Arrows youngster, but Shillong Lajong coach Bobby Nongbet will hope for a little more maturity from senior players.
Lajong’s lack of organisation was apparent throughout the 90 minutes, the last half an hour of which they played with 10 men, much in contrast to the Arrows’ performance on the day.
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“Playing in the I-League means we are under constant pressure from the best teams in India. It also means the opponents will try to close you down quickly,” Nongdamba said.
It was Pinto’s organised showing that sealed the deal. With games against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal up next, the win comes as a big boost for Arrows, made up of many from the squad that played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
