Bottom-placed Shillong Lajong scored a late goal to pull off a 3-2 upset over over second-placed Churchill Brothers in the I-League on Tuesday.
Samuel Kynshi (36’, 45’) scored a brace before Naorem Mahesh Singh’s (83’) late winner to derail Churchill’s title hopes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
As a result of Lajong’s win, Chennai City FC remain on top of the table with 30 points.
The talented Mahesh scored his fourth league goal late in the second half to ensure Churchill remain on 29 points, a point adrift of Chennai, in second place after 16 games.
Churchill, who were 0-2 down in the first half, levelled the score after Willis Plaza’s 17th league goal and an Anthony Wolfe strike in the second half.
Churchill’s Romanian coach Petre Gigiu made three changes to his side from the last game.
Kynshi scored twice to put Shillong ahead by two goals before the break.
Just before half-time, Phrangki Buam was brought down inside the box by Rowlinson Rodrigues and Kynshi calmly converted the penalty kick for his second goal of the day.
After the break, Plaza, the league’s top scorer, brought the visitors back into the game in the 53rd minute. He latched on to a Nicholas Fernandes cross from the left flank to strike his 17th goal of the season.
Mahesh, then, gave a glimpse of things to come as he hit the bar in the 58th minute from a narrow angle.
Lybian defender Hussein Eldor’s long ball from just inside the Shillong half saw substitute Anthony Wolfe rise above his marker inside the box to execute a looping header over Purbha Lachempa to draw Churchill level.
Just as Churchill were fancying another undefeated game, Mahesh helped the hosts pull away with a super strike from about 20 yards.
