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Gurung`s last-minute equaliser help Lajong draw with Kerala

The lethal duo of Anil Gurung and Seikhohau Tuboi saved the day for Lajong, scoring in the last minute to draw against fellow promotee Viva Kerela 1-1 in a seventh round encounter of the I-League.

Shillong: The lethal duo of Anil Gurung and Seikhohau Tuboi saved the day for Lajong, scoring in the last
minute to draw against fellow promotee Viva Kerela 1-1 in a seventh round encounter of the I-League here. In a keenly contested match, both sides missed a number of opportunities before Sirajuddeen found the nets for the visiting side in the 63rd minute. For the hosts, upbeat after their dream run to reach the Federation Cup final, their star striker Tuboi failed to put in the ball from barely a few feet in the 30th minute. Another kick by foreigner James Gbilee from about 20 yards struck the posts in the 44th minute. Keralian Shibinlal also missed a header from close range in the 22nd minute of the match as both the sides failed to overcome their poor conversion rate that they have manifested throughout the I-League. Lajong goalkeeper Gumpe Rime saved a power-packed kick from Reuben Senyo in the 29th minute. In the 63rd minute, Rime, however, failed to hold on to the ball struck by Sakeer from near the box line piercing through the Lajong defence, and Sirajuddeen capitalised on the opportunity giving visiting side the lead. Lajong then began attacking, showing urgency but the short-height factor of the players came into play a number of times when they failed to carry on the high passes. However, the silenced crowd came alive when Anil found the nets by a stunning header off co-striker Tuboi in the last minute. Lajong`s ace striker Tuboi was issued the yellow card by referee Mrinaghsu Bhattercherjee for misbehaving when he arrogantly chucked away the ball outside the ground after a throw-in was not given in his team`s favour. Kerala`s Noushad also met with the same fate in the first half when he dealt a fatal boot to Lajong`s Romeo Sukhlain. The referee also had to warn Kerela`s Raman Patrick for a punt to Daniel Bidemi at the centre. PTI