Shillong, November 9: Shillong Lajong FC earned a point on I-League’s return to the Meghalaya capital after a gap of four seasons, holding fellow North-Eastern side NEROCA FC to a 1-1 draw at the SSA Stadium on Thursday. Lajong, who had also drawn 1-1 with Mohammedan Sporting in Naihati last week, took the lead through their Brazilian midfielder Renan Paulino in the 34th minute. A capacity crowd showed up for the weekday afternoon kick-off in the heart of Shillong, and they were treated to a solid first half from the home side. FIFA President Gianni Infantino To Attend Santosh Trophy 2023-24 Final, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey Informs AIFF Executive Committee Meeting

However, NEROCA bounced back in the second half, equalizing through Jamaican striker Fabian Reid in the 79th minute. The Orange Brigade, who had leaked as many as eight goals in their first two trips to Sreenidi Deccan and Gokulam Kerala, finally got off the mark this season with a valuable point.

As a result, both Shillong Lajong and NEROCA climbed a couple of places on the table. Bobby Nongbet’s Lajong are now 9th with two points from as many games, while NEROCA lifted themselves off the foot of the table to move to 11th. Shaji Prabhakaran, AIFF Secretary-General, Removed From His Position Due to Breach of Trust; Deputy Secretary M Satyanarayan To Takeover Duties

Shillong Lajong will next welcome Sreenidi Deccan on November 14, and NEROCA take on Aizawl on the same day in their first home game of the season in Kalyani.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 09, 2023 07:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).