Talking Point: Did Churchill Brothers take Shillong Lajong’s threat too lightly?

The Reds produced a shock result against one of the title contenders. 

Shillong Lajong picked up picked up their second win on the trot to defeat Churchill Brothers 3-2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong on Tuesday. A first half brace from Samuel Kynshi and a late winner from Naorem Mahesh Singh was enough to give The Reds the win.

Churchill mounted a slight comeback in the second half through Willis Plaza and Anthony Wolfe’s goal, but Mahesh’s late winner derailed their I-league title ambitions. Here are our talking points for the game:

5. Have Shillong Lajong found back their attacking groove?

It seemed as if the win away to Minerva Punjab had rejuvenated The Reds, who were fearless against the threat of the Goans. They never seemed like holding back or playing for a draw and the young lads kept moving forward with crisp, creative attacking moves. After a flurry of chances, Samuel Kynshi scored his first through a powerful shot from just inside the area, before adding another with a penalty.

Churchill Brothers couldn’t match the pace and trickery of Mahesh Singh and Samuel, getting rattled by their chemistry as well as unpredictable movement.

4. Did Churchill Brothers take Shillong’s threat too lightly?

Churchill Brothers have been quite shaky defensively for the past couple of games and their nervous defending was exposed by some clever attacking moves from the young Shillong side. Nenad Novakovic and Khalid Aucho’s presence was missed, as The Reds outpaced the Red Machines and penetrated their backline too easily. Churchill looked very lazy at the back, not putting much urgency into winning the ball back and putting little or no pressure on the opposition.

They weren’t aggressive enough and let The Reds take too many swipes at goal, which resulted in both goals from open play. The Red Machines were foolish to undermine the attacking force of Shillong and were made to pay for their lacklustre approach.

3. Did Naoram Mahesh Singh deliver his best performance this season?

Among all the big names in the Churchill side, one youngster who kept on increasing his stock was Naorem Mahesh Singh. Getting a start following the winner against Minerva, Mahesh relished playing in a false #9 role and often dropped back to help his teammates. His movement in the final third was menacing, as he kept asking questions of Churchill’s back four by getting behind their defenders and wiggling into the box.

He assisted Samuel’s first goal and elevated his performance in the second half, where he even went past James Kithan, but narrowly missed from an acute angle. However, Singh would get his goal when his solid low shot ended up in the net, giving Shillong a crucial win and earning him the Hero of the Match award.

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2. Are Churchill Brothers overly reliant on Willis Plaza?

It almost seems like Willis Plaza’s heroics this season have shrouded the vision of Churchill. The Red Machines seem convinced that Plaza will be their hero each and every day, to earn them one win after another. However, that wasn’t the case and the loss to Lajong proved how vulnerable they can be without him firing. While Plaza did score one, he had an off day by his standards and was frustrated by the tight marking from the Lajong centre-back duo.

1. Have Shillong Lajong dealt a lethal blow to Churchill Brothers’ title hopes?

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Churchill Brothers came into the match needing a win to go to the top of the table, but this upset now finds them a point behind leaders Chennai City, having played two games more. With East Bengal also having played three games less than them and Real Kashmir one, it feels like this loss has derailed their charge for the I-League title.

Churchill dug their own hole with disappointing defending and showing no urgency to win and now will need Lady Luck to keep them in the championship fray. While The Reds took a big step forward to getting out of the bottom spot, Churchill took a step back and now have a big mountain to climb to get back into the title race.