'Lajong Bridge is falling down': The stunning sights from Aizawl and Shillong's NorthEast derby

It takes you ages. The journey strains every mental resource that the impatient fan can call upon and stretches every sinew to its utmost while keeping you hooked in the distance.

Stunning visuals around many a bend staring at you from the tip of a hillock or yonder a crevice in the distance serve as the necessary motivation, the bumps in the road a minor modern hindrance for the steadfast, unwavering aficionado.

There is absolutely nothing that prepares you for what is to follow. As you walk up to the dusty entrance, local pedlars and security men aim to engage the scattered patrons in red shirts, co-conspirators in their own way.

You get the glimpses from afar, the stadium’s curves giving some of it away as you approach the unembellished staircase. Yet, with every emboldened step you take, the ground has one last element of subterfuge before the clincher, the right hook.

As you complete the ascent to the first tier, it hits you squarely in the jaw, as the eyes take a moment to register the true meaning of the vast expanse before them.

“No, the ball does not fall into the valley. There is a lot of land surrounding the stadium,” a member of the organising committee answering the first question that popped into my head.

It takes a good stadium to draw a sizeable crowd in and a great game to keep them in there, but it truly takes a great one to keep the visitor seated there before and after a game. No prizes for guessing which category the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Malpui, Aizawl falls into.

The stadium, projected to have a capacity of 20,000 can at present hold about 30% of the projected figure, the Western Gallery still under construction. That did not stop the crowd from coming in droves to support their team against their nearest rivals in the I-League, dubbing it the “Northeast derby”.

The corresponding fixture, also the first ever meetings of the I-League had ended in a 0-0 draw, but two teams which arrived in rather contrasting circumstances ensured that this would be anything but a drab affair.

Aizawl, under the new stewardship of Khalid Jamil, had started the season strongly, victorious in their last match and coming within seconds of winning their opener as well. For Thangboi Singto and his young Lajong squad, they succumbed to defeats at the hands of Bengaluru and Mohun Bagan, and needing to turn things around fast.

A frantic opening

Despite dominating their last match against the mighty Bagan, Singto’s young cubs had failed to score a goal yet again and it was they that started the stronger of the two teams as Lajong raced down towards Aizawl’s goal only for Redeem Tlang to be brought down inside the box.

As Fabio Pena stepped up to try and score Lajong’s opening goal this season, the Brazilian striker only managed to shoot it straight at Albino Gomes, whose save was racuously cheered by the home crowd.

The opening goal was a bit fortuitous, but the home crowd didn’t seem to mind as Lalruatthara played it to Alfred Jaryan whose shot was parried onto the young striker’s path to finish with a slide, Aizawl with a 1-0 lead.

It wasn’t easy for Lajong’s Indian back four or for their six Under-22 players when Syrian Mahmoud Al-Amna started popping up in advance positions, threading menacing balls through. Amna was later adjudged to be man of the match, his second award in as many matches.

Pena, having scuffed his penalty earlier was given two to three crosses to connect but failed to hit the target as it was Amna once again who slid the ball into Jayesh Rane to double the home side’s lead.

Who needs seats when you have a hill?

The crowd was vociferous till the very end, singing the Aizawl FC anthem accompanied by the beating of drums. A very popular chant of “Lajong bridge is falling down” was also doing the rounds, even in the media box. With emotions running high, perhaps fairness could take a backseat for now.

At the drums was James Lalhruiatluanga Ralte, belting the percussion instrument, which was larger than him, with all his force. James, 3, according to supporters has been an Aizawl FC fan even before he could walk and stood up solemnly clutching his heart to his chest everytime the anthem was played.

At half-time, the operator at the jersey stall was mobbed with requests. Lalmuanpuia Zote at the stall managed to get a word in among the rush, “Every game, we sell at least 40 to 50 of them. There are a lot of requests, especially from the ladies.” At the game too, a lot of women turned up to spur their hometown side on.

Also remarkable was the people watching the match from a tiny hill just outside the stadium, which kept growing as the game progressed. A member of the OC seemed non-plussed, “They are very passionate, hardcore fans. If they don’t want to buy tickets, we can’t stop them.”

Speaking of hills, Singto’s team are hurtling down one and fast. They got their second penalty of the game when Yuta Kinowaki was brought down but got into a scuffle with Asier Dipanda as to who would take it. It was the Japanese who would ultimately step up and convert the penalty, to ringing boos doled out, presumably because he had appeared in Aizawl colours the previous season.

That was as good as it got for the away team with the home team celebrating their second home win in as many matches. The usually-passive Singto sought to play down the penalty incident after the game, “Our first choice Pena and second choice Isaac had been substituted. I am happy that they’re fighting over responsibility,” but rued concession of a “silly first goal” and insisted that his young squad were learning the virtues of the game the hard way and that they would not have much time to learn.

Jamil was happy with the performance from Amna and the rest of the team and looked forward to a reunion with Mumbai FC next up. He joked around, satisfied in the knowledge that his team had picked up seven points from the first three fixtures and lie third in the table.

The real winners were the crowd, who went home mighty pleased and pumped up as the spirit of football in the hills was well and truly alive and kicking.