Langsning FC notched up its first win in the final phase (first leg) of the second division I-League, subduing Southern Samity 2-0 at the Football Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Samson Nongrum put Langsning ahead with a glancing header in the 69th minute before an own goal by Avijit Das sealed the victory. The result moved Langsning off the bottom of the table while Samity remained rooted there.
The sides played out an even first half, neither willing to commit itself forward. Samity’s attempts at finding a way through came mainly from the right flank, but amounted to nothing. The Kolkata side moved poorly off the ball, struggling to string passes together. Langsning grew into the game as the half wore on, forwards Nongrum and Joel Sunday combining well on a couple of occasions.
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The men from Shillong emerged stronger from the interval, eager to push forward. Timmy Rynghlem and Vanlalnun Dunga had good shots punched over the bar. Sunday was excellent for Langsning, drifting wide from his central position and dragging the defence out of shape.
Though the goal took some time arriving, it was just reward for Langsning’s intent. A corner was taken short; Sunday’s subsequent cross was flicked in by Nongrum. Subrata Bhattacharya tinkered with his personnel, pushing Marcos Pereira into central defence, but it yielded little. Twelve minutes from time, Langsning put the game to bed. Right-back Ashok Singh sent a long cross into the box after some good hold-up play from Sunday; the Samity substitute Avijit Das, however, fluffed what should have been a simple clearance, knocking the ball into his own net.
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The result: Langsning FC 2 (Samson Nongrum 69, Avijit Das 78-og) bt Southern Samity 0.