Fed Cup experience will help us to improve: Rosario

After losing a keenly contested summit clash to East Bengal 0-3 in the penalty shootout, Lajong FC coach Stanley Rosario reckoned that the Federation Cup experience would help his boys improve their game.

Shillong: After losing a keenly contested summit clash to Kolkata giant East Bengal 0-3 in the penalty shootout, Lajong FC coach Stanley Rosario reckoned that the Federation Cup experience would help his boys improve their game in the days to come.

Lajong, who had shocked I-League champions Churchill Brothers 1-0 to book their maiden final berth in the event, today put up a brave show and held East Bengal goalless during the stipulated 90 minutes as well as the extra-time, but lost the plot in penalty stage. “A tie-breaker is anybody’s game. But the performance would certainly help the boys to do better in the I-League,” Rosario said after the final match at Nehru Stadium here.“I appreciate the efforts put up by the boys. Three of the key players were absent, but they showed it did not matter much. The fact that they did not concede any goal in those 120 minutes is fantastic,” Rosario told a television channel just before the tie-breaker.Meanwhile, East Bengal striker Baichung Bhutia also lavished praise on the Shillong team. “It is difficult to play against Lajong at home. Hats off to them, they defended quite well,” Bhutia said. PTI