Shillong: Aizawl FC, a hitherto little-known club from a remote corner of the country with a shoe-string budget, were Sunday crowned I-League champions in one of the most remarkable achievements in Indian football history.
Aizawl drew with Shillong Lajong 1-1 in a highly-anticipated match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here as they clinched the title in a manner similar to what Leicester City did in the English Premier League last season.
Lajong went ahead in the ninth minute through Aser Dipanda Dicka but Aizawl struck the leveller in the 67th minute through William Lalnunfela to script a fairytale story for the Mizoram side in their second season to become the first Northeastern side to win an I-League title.
Mohun Bagan could have won the title had Aizawl lost to Lajong but it did not happen in the end though the home side missed a sitter in the closing stages of the match. Bagan defeated Chennai City FC 2-1 in a simultaneous match in Kolkata but that was not enough for them as they had to settle for a runners-up finish.
Aizawl ended the league on 37 points while Mohun Bagan finished second on 36. By virtue of winning the I-League title, Aizawl will play in the AFC Cup, the continent’s second tier club competition played among teams from developing football countries.
It was, in fact, the Leicester moment of Indian football as the Aizawl side turned their fortunes around in just a matter of a year after they were on the verge of relegation from the I-League last season.
Aizawl would not have at all played in the I-League this season as they finished eighth last year but after a few Goan sides pulled out of the country’s top-flight league, they got a lifeline to stay afloat.
Their feat is comparable to the unheralded English Premier League side Leicester which won the title in 2015-16 season after they were on the verge of relegation the previous year.
A club whose budget is just around Rs 2 crore (Mohun Bagan spent the same amount in buying Sony Norde), it’s an achievement of enormous proportion for Aizawl.
The match, the Northeast derby, was though not without controversy as Aizawl played under protest after finding out that the title-deciding game would be conducted by officials from Bengal.
Aizawl protested because Kolkata side Mohun Bagan were also in title contention and playing a simultaneous match. The Northeastern club said that they have earlier requested the AIFF to appoint neutral match officials from other states.
PTI
