After kick-starting the Hero I-League campaign on a winning note against Aizawl FC on Sunday, Shillong Lajong FC will now host East Bengal FC in another pulsating Hero I-League match on November 1 at the JN Stadium Shillong at 2 PM.
The tickets for the match will be available at The Mobile Centre, Police Bazaar and SSA Counter in Polo Ground.
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The Lajong Youngsters delivered an exceptional performance in their opening game and played their heart out to win the opening match. Mahesh Singh scored a brace ensuring the three points, said Shillong Lajong in a match preview on its official website.
Meanwhile, East Bengal FC are coming into this match after a 2-0 win over Neroca FC. Mexican striker, Enrique Esqueda delivered on his debut thereby scoring the two goals against a very strong Neroca side.
East Bengal has roped in Spanish coach, Alejandro Menendez Garcia for the I-League 2018/19 season along with Costa Rican defender Johnny Acosta and the team had a good pre-season in Malaysia where they played a few games.
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The last time Shillong Lajong and East Bengal faced each other was on 5th March 2018 and match ended in a 2-2 draw in Shillong.
Talking about the match our head coach Alison Kharsyntiew said, “The game against East Bengal is always a tough fixture, especially this season as they have some experienced players in every department. We must put in a lot of efforts and lot of quality to win it.”
“The game against Aizawl gave the boys a lot of confidence, but Thursday’s game will be a different match as it will be a tough game mentally and we have to work hard as a team to beat them”, he further added.
East Bengal’s defender Johnny Acosta featured for the Costa Rican National team in the FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018. Talking about the defensive stability he brings, coach Alison said, “Acosta is a very good player, but it’s all about the team.”
Lajong’s experienced defender Aiban Dohling put in a stellar performance in the last game against Aizawl to ensure the hosts’ the three points. While talking about The Reds’ last match he said,“It’s all about the team’s performance. We had a great game, we followed the coach’s instructions and got the result.”
“Like every season, East Bengal has a good team with a bunch of new and experienced players. But whether some players are playing or not, we are ready for the challenge tomorrow,” he then added.
Aiban, on the other hand, appreciated the Lajong Faithfuls for turning out in huge numbers in the last match and asked for their cheers again.
The visitors’ head coach Alejandro considers Thursday’s match to be a tough fixture going into the long season ahead.
East Bengal in their last four visits to Shillong has only managed to win once, it added.