Unheralded Mizoram side Aizawl FC beat Indian football giants Mohun Bagan by a solitary goal in a highly anticipated match to be within touching distance of their maiden I-League title here on Saturday
Zohmingliana Ralte
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Aizawl: Unheralded Mizoram side Aizawl FC beat Indian football giants Mohun Bagan by a solitary goal in a highly anticipated match to be within touching distance of their maiden I-League title here on Saturday.
Local player Zohmingliana Ralte scored the all-important goal at the 83rd minute in the penultimate round match in front of football crazy Aizawl fans at the packed Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and steered the team to the verge of creating history. The sold-out crowd braved the chilly conditions with temperature hovering just over 20 degree Celsius. This stunning win put Aizawl on 36 points from 17 games, three more than Mohun Bagan (33 points from 17 matches), and now they need just a draw in their final league match against Shillong Lajong away from home on April 30 to bag the coveted I-League crown in their second season.
Mohun Bagan, who won their first I-League title two season’s back, can still be the champions if they beat Chennai City FC at home in their final match on April 30 and Aizawl lose to Shillong Lajong, the same day.
It was a remarkable turnaround for Aizawl FC, coached by Khalid Jamil, who finished eighth in their debut season last year and were almost kicked out of the I-League. If they win the I-League title, they will become the first club from North-east India to do so.