Shillong Lajong FC won the under-18 Youth League national championship after a 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters at the JN Stadium in Shillong on Saturday.
Shillong Lajong had a fantastic tournament as they are the only team to remain undefeated out of the 55 teams that participated and scored a total of 23 goals and conceding just three.
In the finale, the first goal was a result of an own goal by Kerala Blasters player, Lins P Poulose in the 3rd minute. Samuel Kynshi’s free kick near the corner was met by Lins who was aiming to clear the ball but ended scoring an own goal.
The Lajong players were dominant throughout the game and had plenty of chances but went into the break with only an one-goal advantage.
The second half began with Shillong applying pressure in front of goal and were creating chances in the opponent’s half. Parvaj came very close to finding the net but his long-range shot hit the post and was cleared to safety. Later, Kerala Blasters too had a great chance to equalise but the long-range effort hit the crossbar as well.
As the game headed to full time, Kynsailang Khongsit made a darting run from the wing and after some beautiful passes, he found himself inside the box and beat the keeper to double the lead for Lajong in the 92nd minute.
The referee eventually blew the final whistle awarding Shillong Lajong FC the full three points and were thus crowned the Champions of the U-18 Youth League.