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| A moment from the match between Rangdajied United (in white) and Green Valley at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos |
Guwahati, Sept. 24: Rangdajied United FC, Shillong, edged past home side Green Valley Sports Club 5-4 via tiebreakers at Nehru Stadium here today to book a quarter-finals berth in the 61st Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy Tournament.
The lacklustre affair, this afternoon, ended in a 1-1 draw with both goals scored in the first half.
Nigerian recruit Michel Lucky Kelechukwu put Green Valley ahead in the second minute, snatching the ball from Rangdajied custodian Surjay Kumar Pariyar who was trying to take a shot after receiving a back pass from defender Pynshongdor Shadap.
Nagen Tamang capitalised on defence lapses on the part of the Green Valley men to find the equaliser with a header off a Joy Mrong Kharrawai pass from the right half position in the 30th minute.
It would have been a 2-2 draw had Kelechukwu’s lob over Rangdajied glovesman Pariyar not bounced over the crosspiece in the 19th minute and Kharrawai’s left footer from inside the penalty box not rebounded from the left upright in the 77th minute.
In the penalty shootout, it went to the fifth shot on either side till Pariyar made no mistake in driving to the left to save a grounder by Green Valley’s foreigner Nnamdi Jonathan taking the last shot of tiebreakers. Earlier, Green Valley’s Bijoy Borgohain and Rangdajied’s Pariyar placed their shots away from the woodwork.
Baba Tunde, Bhola Prasad, Dapbor Bareh and skipper Enyinnaya Loveday converted their shots for Rangdajied while Sanjeeva Rongpi, Kelechukwu and Maneswar Mushahary found the net for Green Valley.
Rangdajied will meet Langsning SC in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Sunrise Athletic Club, Guwahati will meet Assam Rifles, Tezpur in the first quarter-final tomorrow.
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