Hoshiarpur, March 16 (IANS) Aizawl FC beat relegation rivals Delhi FC 2-0 in their I-League encounter at the Mahilpur Football Stadium on Sunday. Lalbiakdika (40’, 77’) scored a brace to give his side the crucial three points.
The victory edged Aizawl away from the bottom two for the first time in the calendar year with 19 points from as many matches, albeit having played a game more than SC Bengaluru. Delhi, with 13 points from 19 games, remain rock bottom.
Aizawl flew off the blocks and could well have put the game out of reach within the first 25 minutes if it wasn’t for some bad luck and inefficient finishing. Lalthankhuma was the first to come close, his header drifting just wide of the far post.
A few minutes later, a horrible goalkeeping error by Debnath Mondal saw the ball fall at the feet of Laltlanzova in the six yard box, albeit at an acute angle. The winger decided to cut it back with an empty goal at his mercy and Delhi cleared.
The goal was always coming though, and Delhi’s inability to really break out of defence and create problems for Aizawl were clear to see. An early substitution did little to ebb the flow. In the 38th minute, Aizawl finally opened the scoring when Lalbiakdika picked up an errant clearance that had drifted from the right all the way across the box. With his first touch he beat his marker, cut on to his favoured foot and fired it home at the near post. It was a lead they deserved.
Aizawl continued to control and dominate the game in the second half too, and Lalbiakdika had opportunities to double their lead. The winger scored his second in the 76th minute, to double Aizawl’s lead. As he ran on to a through ball, substitute goalkeeper Lalmuansanga came off his line in an attempt to clear it away. Lalbiakdika neatly rounded the goalkeeper before finishing into an empty net. At no point of time, even late in the game, did the lead look under threat, as the visitors controlled the game to take the three points and leave Delhi’s survival hopes hanging by a thread, six points off safety.
–IANS
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