Shillong Lajong beat FC Pune City in Super Cup thriller

File photo of Shillong Lajong team (Image: I-League Twitter)

Bhubaneswar: Shillong Lajong rallied from 0-2 deficit to beat FC Pune City 3-2 in a thrilling match and book a quarterfinal spot in the inaugural Super Cup football tournament here on Wednesday.

The first half of the Round-of-16 match, played under heavy ground conditions at the Kalinga Stadium, was dominated by the Pune side who led 2-1 at half-time.

Jonatan Lucca put Pune in the lead via a stunning free-kick in the 17th minute before his captain Marcelinho made it 2-0 five minutes later. Abdoulaye Koffi pulled one back for Shillong Lajong in the 29th minute as three goals were scored in 12 minutes despite the difficult ground conditions. There were puddles at several areas of the pitch.

Shillong Lajong made a remarkable recovery in the second half which they dominated. Rakesh Pradhan restored parity in the 61st minute before Samuel scored the match-winner in the second minute of the added time.

Adding to the woes of the Pune side, their captain Marcelinho was sent off after getting his second yellow card at the fag end of the match.