Shillong/Barasat: Dipanda Dicka's solitary second half goal gave Shillong Lajong their fourth home win of the season as they beat Churchill Brothers 1-0 even as East Bengal rout Chennai City FC in the seventh round I-League clashes on Sunday.
At Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, Dicka struck in the 51st minute taking his tally to six goals this season and also ensuring that his side registered their first ever victory over Churchill at home.
The victory, fourth in a row, took Lajong to 12 points from seven matches and they jumped to fourth spot in the standings for the first time in three seasons.
Churchill remained at five points and have a lot of catching up to do in the coming matches.
Earlier, the crowd swelled to over 10,000 at the stadium for the first time this season as Lajong braced up for the Goan challenge.
The hosts started on a confident note dominating possession but Churchill too were in no mood to hand an early advantage to their opponents.
The visitors got their first real chance in the 16th minute when Anthony Wolfe cleared Nim Tamang with ease upfront after receiving a long ball. But the Trinidad and Tobago striker's shot went over the bar, much to the dismay of coach Alfred Fernandes.
In the following minutes, Kromah looked dangerous at the front at least on two occasions but the lack of support spoiled his raids.
Post the half hour mark, Lajong once again secured firm control of the proceedings even as Churchill were pushed to the backfoot.
Dicka had a golden opportunity to score in the 44th minute when Issac delivered a perfect cross but the off balanced Cameroonian slammed the ball wide from close range.
Barely four minutes into the second half, Kromah squandered a golden chance when after breezing out into the clear from the midfield he could not get past Vishal Kaith at the goalmouth. Vishal made a desperate dive on the right to deflect the ball out of danger.
Three minutes later, it was Lajong's turn to stamp their authority and it was the in-form Dicka who stepped in to make the difference.
Dicka slammed the ball into the back of the nets after rival custodian Priyant Singh fumbled to collect the ball. Singh almost grabbed the ball twice but a late fumble gave Dicka the chance to have a shot at the wide open target.
Thereafter, a buoyed Lajong side made a mess of two possible chances with Rupert Nongrum found wanting on both occasions.
The hosts had their share of luck too. In the 68th minute, a Anthony Wolfe header which was smashed to the ground bounced over the crossbar missing the nets by a whisker.
In Barasat, East Bengal struck thrice after a barren first-half to rout debutants Chennai City FC 3-0 and extend their winning streak to six matches consolidating their position atop the table.
Wedson Anselme (50th), Willis Deon Plaza (75th) and Lalrindika Ralte (90+6th) scored for East Bengal in front of a packed crowd at the Vidyasagar Krirangan to hand Chennai their fifth loss on the trot.
The win ahead of a week of high-profile derby against Mohun Bagan matched their six-match winning streak of 2010-11 season as they consolidated their place atop the table with 19 points from seven matches, three points clear of their arch-rivals who have a match in hand.
Anselme opened up the lead from Ralte's lob from 23 yards as the Haitian midfielder used his left foot for a first touch to find the far post, taking a slight deflection off Yumnam Raju.
There was no looking back for the red and gold brigade as Trinidad and Tobago forward Willis Deon Plaza surged in for one-two with Wedson before the former shot inside the goal to double the lead.
There was more in store after the referee added six minutes to the regulation time as Thongkhosiem Haokip was brought down by Echezona Anyichie for a dying minute spot-kick and Ralte made no mistake to complete the rout.
Earlier, Chennai City FC made four changes from their 2-0 loss in Shillong, bringing in Debabrata Roy, Dhanapal Ganesh, Denson Devadas and Darren Caldeira. East Bengal were forced to replace the suspended Mehtab Hossain giving Rowllin Borges a start.
Rowllin set up Wedson as he ran down the middle with Nikhil Poojary making a fine run with East Bengal creating a fine opportunity in the seventh minute.
The Under-22 signing had the top right corner of the post all for him but his first-time shot went too wide and over the bar.
Looking for their elusive I-League title, East Bengal's next stop would be the showpiece match of the tournament when they take on arch-rivals Mohun Bagan ?n the I-League derby in Siliguri on January 12.
East Bengal struck thrice after a barren first-half to rout debutants Chennai City FC 3-0 and extend their winning streak to six matches consolidating their position atop the table in I-League football today.
Wedson Anselme (50th), Willis Deon Plaza (75th) and Lalrindika Ralte (90+6th) scored for East Bengal in front of a packed crowd at the Vidyasagar Krirangan to hand Chennai their fifth loss on the trot.
The win ahead of a week of high-profile derby against Mohun Bagan matched their six-match winning streak of 2010-11 season as they consolidated their place atop the table with 19 points from seven matches, three points clear of their arch-rivals who have a match in hand.
Anselme opened up the lead from Ralte's lob from 23 yards as the Haitian midfielder used his left foot for a first touch to find the far post, taking a slight deflection off Yumnam Raju.
There was no looking back for the red and gold brigade as Trinidad and Tobago forward Willis Deon Plaza surged in for one-two with Wedson before the former shot inside the goal to double the lead.
There was more in store after the referee added six minutes to the regulation time as Thongkhosiem Haokip was brought down by Echezona Anyichie for a dying minute spot-kick and Ralte made no mistake to complete the rout.
Earlier, Chennai City FC made four changes from their 2-0 loss in Shillong, bringing in Debabrata Roy, Dhanapal Ganesh, Denson Devadas and Darren Caldeira. East Bengal were forced to replace the suspended Mehtab Hossain giving Rowllin Borges a start.
Rowllin set up Wedson as he ran down the middle with Nikhil Poojary making a fine run with East Bengal creating a fine opportunity in the seventh minute.
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The Under-22 signing had the top right corner of the post all for him but his first-time shot went too wide and over the bar.
Looking for their elusive I-League title, East Bengal's next stop would be the showpiece match of the tournament when they take on arch-rivals Mohun Bagan ?n the I-League derby in Siliguri on January 12.
