Mizoram: Football - Revision history

Jyoti: /* I-League */

2017-11-22T23:05:37Z

‎I-League

Jyoti: /* Players Help Each Other, Do Charity Work Together */

2017-11-22T23:04:29Z

‎Players Help Each Other, Do Charity Work Together

Pdewan: /* 2017 */

2017-06-03T22:48:05Z

‎2017

Pdewan: /* The road to the 2017 I-League final */

2017-05-13T08:27:25Z

‎The road to the 2017 I-League final

Pdewan: /* Will the 2017 champions be in 2018’s 2nd tier for lack of funds? */

2017-05-13T08:13:49Z

‎Will the 2017 champions be in 2018’s 2nd tier for lack of funds?

Pdewan: /* The historic final: As it happened */

2017-05-13T08:13:18Z

‎The historic final: As it happened

Pdewan: /* 2017: Historic triumph in I-League */

2017-04-30T20:19:14Z

‎2017: Historic triumph in I-League

Pdewan: /* The road to the 2017 I-League final */

2017-04-30T19:51:36Z

‎The road to the 2017 I-League final

Pdewan at 11:25, 23 April 2017

2017-04-23T11:25:51Z

Pdewan at 11:22, 23 April 2017

2017-04-23T11:22:23Z

@@ Line 153: / Line 153: @@
-Last season, when Shylo Malsawmtluanga shyly stepped in from backstage carrying the I-League trophy that his team, Aizawl FC, won in Cinderella-like fashion, you were assailed by a strange sense of calm regarding the league’s future. The Mizo footballer, with that quiet, easy grace he brings with him, is known to have that effect on proceedings. The feeling, though, didn’t last very long.
+In the season, where Shylo Malsawmtluanga shyly stepped in from backstage carrying the I-League trophy that his team, Aizawl FC, won in Cinderella-like fashion, you were assailed by a strange sense of calm regarding the league’s future. The Mizo footballer, with that quiet, easy grace he brings with him, is known to have that effect on proceedings. The feeling, though, didn’t last very long.
 Soon after, the trophy was carted around by the handlers and had made room on the dais for other presentations. It summed up the I-League’s status and the chances being afforded to it in these times of ISL. Today, the I-League is a tournament forced into severe identity crisis.
@@ Line 170: / Line 170: @@
 Could the I-League have survived the commercial onslaught of the ISL? Left on its own, no, but the situation could have been averted had the federation needed what was required of it, rather than facilitated the sport’s disinvestment. As the new season is announced, it is heartening, as always, that there’s football to be played and a trade to be plied. But for how much longer, one cannot say. Was this the last-ever ILeague being launched with such fanfare? One hopes not but there isn’t much cause for optimism either.
 ===The teams===

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:04, 22 November 2017
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	Every May, when the football season takes a break for two months and the players head to their respective homes, the Mizos get together and play a series of friendly matches, proceeds of which are equally shared by the MFA and the chosen charity.		Every May, when the football season takes a break for two months and the players head to their respective homes, the Mizos get together and play a series of friendly matches, proceeds of which are equally shared by the MFA and the chosen charity.
		+
		+	=I-League=
		+	==2017: diminished status==
		+	[http://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2017%2F11%2F22&entity=Ar02521&sk=F2E870E8&mode=text Siddharth Saxena, The I-League, which begins its 11th season this week, is desperate to fight off the anonymity being thrust upon it in these times of ISL, November 22, 2017: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+
		+	Last season, when Shylo Malsawmtluanga shyly stepped in from backstage carrying the I-League trophy that his team, Aizawl FC, won in Cinderella-like fashion, you were assailed by a strange sense of calm regarding the league’s future. The Mizo footballer, with that quiet, easy grace he brings with him, is known to have that effect on proceedings. The feeling, though, didn’t last very long.
		+
		+	Soon after, the trophy was carted around by the handlers and had made room on the dais for other presentations. It summed up the I-League’s status and the chances being afforded to it in these times of ISL. Today, the I-League is a tournament forced into severe identity crisis.
		+
		+	Still, it was a commendable effort. Launching a new season on Tuesday — it starts with Mohun Bagan’s visit to Minerva, Nov 25 — by inviting the coaches and captain of all 10 teams and involving them in a short tete-a-tete (the taciturn Khalid Jamil gave even more brief replies than usual), was a novel never-before in the I-League.
		+
		+	Earlier, in much less-threatened times, you just required the President or Prime Minister to awkwardly tap the ball in a ceremonial kick-off and the football, in all its roller-coaster ways, would do the rest. Now it is forced to react to anything the ISL dictates, from the manufactured frills of the sidelines to playing five foreigners in the XI.
		+
		+	Despite the infusion of youth and promise with the inclusion of the India Arrows comprising India’s under-17 and U-19 teams, and addition of two other teams, the feeling that I-League has been cut away just doesn’t leave. It was an aspect vividly evident in the words of the All India Football Federation general secretary, Kushal Das, who insisted that this continued to be India’s national league, but remembered not to omit the crucial rider, “as of now…” when giving it its place in Indian football.
		+
		+	The concept of a dual league automatically gives India’s national league second-class status. Microphone in hand, players, coaches and old-timers said all the right things – shreds of optimism coming from all those hanging on to different kinds of hope, of consolidation, a learning, a title, but mostly, of survival.
		+
		+	“Even in a parallel structure, we all know where this league stands when compared to the ISL. Even without naming it as such, it is already the second division with the better players gone there and their matches played at 8 PM and our matches played at 2,” said a veteran player. “Effectively, now there are three divisions already in Indian football,” he said alluding, to the I-League Division-II already in practice. “But we have to play, or else where do we go?” he added.
		+
		+	In forecasting the season, Sanjoy Sen, a thoughtful man and Mohun Bagan’s coach, revealed a larger picture. “This I-League is a completely new tournament compared to the one played last season. Not every team here will play for the title. Some of them will fight to remain in the middle of the league table,” he said. He may have been talking just football, but the picture being painted was one of survival.
		+
		+	Could the I-League have survived the commercial onslaught of the ISL? Left on its own, no, but the situation could have been averted had the federation needed what was required of it, rather than facilitated the sport’s disinvestment. As the new season is announced, it is heartening, as always, that there’s football to be played and a trade to be plied. But for how much longer, one cannot say. Was this the last-ever ILeague being launched with such fanfare? One hopes not but there isn’t much cause for optimism either.
		+
		+	''' ‘CONSTANTINE SET FOR EXTENSION; DE MATOS TO STAY TILL I-LEAGUE’ '''
		+
		+	New Delhi: All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das indicated that chief coach Stephen Constantine would be handed a contract extension in March despite certain reports of rift with senior players. He also confirmed that Portuguese Luis Norton De Matos’ contract will run till the end of the I-League. “De Matos contract is till the end of I-League,” Das said.
		+
		+	“It will be a decision of technical committee (in March 2018) but going by Constantine’s performance and results, I don’t why he should not be continued,” he said. PTI
		+
		+	''DESPITE FAN BASE, BAGAN, EB DON’T GET INVESTORS: AIFF SECY'''
		+
		+	New Delhi: Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have failed to attract the kind of investors needed to play in the Indian Super League, AIFF General secretary Kushal Das said on Tuesday. “They can (play AFC Champions League) but they will have to fulfill the licensing criteria,” Das said.
		+
		+	“While they have a huge fan base, they also have to realise somehow there are no investors coming. They are finding it difficult to get sponsorships,” he added.
		+
		+	===The teams===
		+	[http://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TimesOfIndia/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TOIDEL%2F2017%2F11%2F22&entity=Ar02518&sk=D454B920&mode=text November 22, 2017: ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+	A quick lowdown of the 10 teams in the 11th edition of the I-League
		+
		+
		+	'''Aizawl FC (Mizoram)''': Aizawl had won its first-ever I-League title last season after not even being certain of participating. As defending champions, though, Aizawl have looked a far cry from the side that left Indian football enthralled.
		+
		+	'''Neroca FC (Manipur)''': After winning the Second Division I-League, Neroca will be keen to prove that they belong among the top. Captained by Gouramangi Singh, Manipur’s first team in the I-League can spring a few surprises.
		+
		+	'''Shillong Lajong FC (Meghalaya)''': The club, now into their seventh successive season at the top, are bereft of their star players and may have to do with academy graduates, besides five new foreign players.
		+
		+	'''Mohun Bagan AC (West Bengal)''': Sony Norde may have too much to do if Mohun Bagan want to regain the I-League title. The team hasn’t looked convincing enough in friendlies.
		+
		+	'''East Bengal (West Bengal)''': On paper and form, East Bengal look the best bet to secure this year’s I-League title. Khalid Jamil has done well so far to instil a winning mentality within his team.
		+
		+	'''Minerva Punjab (Punjab)''': Despite parting ways with their Spanish coach less than a month before the I-League, Minerva Punjab’s 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in a friendly means they cannot be taken for granted.
		+
		+	'''Gokulam Kerala FC (Kerala)''': The newcomers from Kerala won a direct entry and has since then roped in impressive foreign players. If they live up to the potential, Kerala’s return to the top tier after six years will be lustily cheered.
		+
		+	'''Churchill Brothers FC (Goa)''': With almost the entire squad dismantled, Churchill Brothers have had to start afresh. The team isn’t exactly firing in the local league but the arrival of foreign players can help them turn over a new leaf.
		+
		+	'''Chennai City FC (Tamil Nadu)''': Dominated by local players, Chennai City FC are a much better team than last season when they finished eighth despite upsetting East Bengal and holding Bengaluru FC to a draw.
		+
		+	'''Indian Arrows (Delhi)''': Comprising mostly of players from the India squad for the Fifa U-17 World Cup, Indian Arrows will be more than mere pushovers.

	=2016=		=2016=

@@ Line 174: / Line 174: @@
 Keeping in mind the good performances of Aizawl FC in the last edition, the committee unanimously decided to give them a ticket to play in the 2016-17 edition.
 =2017=
 ==Aizawl FC on a roll==
 [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Aizawl-FC-success-is-no-delusion-just-a-14042017024021     Marcus Mergulhao | Aizawl FC success is `no delusion, just a miracle'|Apr 14 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi)]

@@ Line 205: / Line 205: @@
 The local side's 1-0 triumph -a header by Zohmingliana Ralte -meant that the tiny north-eastern club now travel to the final weekend of India's national football league needing just a point against regional rivals, Lajong of Shillong.
+[[File: Mizoram football 2017.jpg|Aizawl’s historic triumph of 2017 <br/> Photo: Dvonne Banjop/ ''India Today'' |frame|500px]]
 It should a fitting finale -Lajong were the first club from the region on the national map, and now, Aizawl have barged into the scene. Aizawl's belief showed in the way they kept Sony Norde, Bagan's Haitian ace under a tight leash. Norde's salary alone equals Aizawl's entire budget for the season.
@@ Line 213: / Line 213: @@
 For long, we were comfortable with identifying the North East as the supply line of footballers to the rest of the country . If Manipur was the pioneer till a decade ago, Mizoram is the standard to follow today  as many as was 58 players from Mizoram play for club in the ten-team I-League. Now they are carving out their own identity as a footballing unit on the national level.
 ==2017: Historic triumph in I-League==
 [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/i-league/aizawl-fc-script-history-become-first-north-east-club-to-win-i-league-title/articleshow/58448033.cms Siddharth Saxena | Aizawl FC script history, become first north-east club to win I-League title | TNN | Apr 30, 2017| IndiaTimes/ ''The Times of India'']

@@ Line 320: / Line 320: @@
 hrs IST: FULL TIME!! AIZAWL HAVE WON THE I-LEAGUE TITLE AND THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN.
 ==Will the 2017 champions be in 2018’s 2nd tier for lack of funds?==
- [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Aizawl-threaten-stir-if-not-put-in-top-03052017032018   Marcus Mergulhao | Aizawl threaten stir if not put in top tier of unified new league | May 03 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi)]
+[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Aizawl-threaten-stir-if-not-put-in-top-03052017032018   Marcus Mergulhao | Aizawl threaten stir if not put in top tier of unified new league | May 03 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi)]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:13, 13 May 2017
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	2101 hrs IST: FULL TIME!! AIZAWL HAVE WON THE I-LEAGUE TITLE AND THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN.		2101 hrs IST: FULL TIME!! AIZAWL HAVE WON THE I-LEAGUE TITLE AND THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN.
		+	==Will the 2017 champions be in 2018’s 2nd tier for lack of funds?==
		+	[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Aizawl-threaten-stir-if-not-put-in-top-03052017032018 Marcus Mergulhao \| Aizawl threaten stir if not put in top tier of unified new league \| May 03 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi)]
		+
		+
		+	After Aizawl scripted the greatest ever triumph in Indian football by winning the I-League, India's premier football competition, they were rocked by news that they will not have a chance to defend their title. [In the 2018] season, the AIFF along with marketing partners IMG-Reliance hope to launch a new unified league which will have all eight existing franchises from the ISL and three I-League teams.
		+
		+	Despite Aizawl winning the I-League, they are not assured of a place in the top tier simply because they do not have the financial muscle to compete in the ISL. The AIFF too have made this clear as they have openly engaged in talks with Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC, while leaving the rest out of the equation.
		+
		+	Aizawl will be relegated to the second tier which club president Robert Royte told AIFF in an official letter is totally unfair and unacceptable.
		+
		+	Aizawl FC won the I-League with an estimated budget of Rs 2.5 crore while franchises in the ISL are understood to have incurred a minimum loss of Rs 25 crore in each of the three seasons so far. All participating franchises pay the organizers anywhere between Rs 12 to Rs 18 crore as participation fee every year.
		+
		+	“Amidst unprecedented success, it has been widely reported that AIFF is intending to include three I-League clubs, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC, while it is silent on the inclusion of the reigning champions Aizawl FC in the proposed top league. It would be totally unfair and unacceptable to relegate the champions of the top league due to its merger with unrecognized `inter-city' tournament,“ club president Robert Royte wrote in a letter to AIFF president Praful Patel.
		+
		+	“We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Aizawl play in the top league. There is every possibility that there will be protests. We will do everything,“ the club president told TOI after dispatching the letter. League champions Aizawl FC have warned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that they are willing to go to any length to ensure that they feature in the new unified top-tier league next season.

	=See also=		=See also=

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:19, 30 April 2017
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	Then referee Pranjal Banerjee would blow for time. It would all be over.		Then referee Pranjal Banerjee would blow for time. It would all be over.
		+
		+
		+
		+	===The historic final: As it happened===
		+	[http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/aizawl-vs-shillong-lajong-live-football-score-i-league-mohun-bagan-vs-chennai-city-online-video-streaming-4634387/ Aizawl win the I-League title: As it happened\| April 30, 2017 \| Indian Express]
		+
		+
		+	Aizawl managed to hold Shillong Lajong to a draw and won the I-League title.
		+	[[File: Aizawl FC poster.jpg\| Aizawl FC poster \|frame\|500px]]
		+
		+
		+	Rarely do we find a more gritty finish to a league season anywhere in the world but the two chances that Shillong Lajong had in injury time was probably a hear-in-mouth moment for every neutral and Aizawl fan. In the end, they came off as the winners. They are a team of rejects and journeymen with a salary cap that just about as much as how much Soni Norde is payed by Mohun Bagan and they have outrun them to the I-League title. If this really was the last I-League season as we know it, it was one for the ages.
		+
		+
		+	Shillong Lajong 1-1 Aizawl
		+
		+	Match highlights:
		+
		+
		+	1851 hrs IST: Regardless of what happens over the 90 minutes in Shillong and Siliguri, Aizawl have pulled off one of the greatest underdog stories in football. The teams have come out to the pitch, we are now seconds away from kick off.
		+
		+	1910 hrs IST: Five minutes have passed and as it stands, Aizawl are champions of the I-League, injuries are having an effect on Aizawl, clearly missing Alfred Jaryan in midfield.
		+
		+	1913 hrs IST: GOAL! An anti-climax on the cards? Dika heads in a cross, it hits the underside of the bar and bounces outside. But the ball had crossed the line and Lajong lead!
		+
		+	1919 hrs IST: All is not lost yet for Aizawl as Mohun Bagan need to win against Chennai to clinch the title. If Bagan do win and the scoreline remains the same at Shillong, the Kolkata giant will win the title. But Aizawl need a draw from this match to put it well past Bagan
		+
		+	1922 hrs IST: Shillong attack from the right and try to send in a cross, it takes a deflection off Zoltya Ralte and Aizawl can clear it.
		+
		+	1926 hrs IST: Kamo causing all sorts of problems for Shillong, he provokes a free kick 30 yards from goal. It comes to nothing but later dribbles his way into the box. Defenders finally wrestled the ball away from him.
		+
		+	1930 hrs IST: Shillong’s Isaac takes a free kick from just outside the box. It misses the Aizawl post by inches. One of the best free kick takers in the country at the moment, Isaac.
		+
		+	1932 hrs IST: Aizawl looking a little tensed at the moment. Gives Shillong ample space and time to put in crosses into the box. When they go into the attack, Kamo takes a shot from a good distance away from goal and it is wayward
		+
		+	1935 hrs IST: Oh what a chance! Aizawl break on the counter, Kamo passes it to the winger who finds Al-Amna ahead of him, the Syrian takes a shot and it is over the cross bar.
		+
		+	1938 hrs IST: Mohun Bagan are trailing against Chennai City, something to calm the nerves for Aizawl FC
		+
		+	1941 hrs IST: Another big chance there for Aizawl!! Jayesh Rana swings it in, Lajong unable to clear it and it comes to the feet of Kamo who, with his back to goal, back-heels it past the keeper. The man on the line saves it for Lajong. An outrageous attempt!!
		+
		+	1945 hrs IST: Aizawl are now dominating possession, piling the pressure on Shillong Lajong. Lajong are meanwhile giving possession away cheaply time and again.
		+
		+	1950 hrs IST: Some sloppy defending from Lajong and Aizawl keep sending in repeated crosses into the box, the keeper finally comes out and punches the ball away.
		+
		+	1957 hrs IST: HALF TIME!! Shillong Lajong lead Aizawl but the latter may still win the title. Mohun Bagan were trailing lowly Chennai City until skipper Katsumi Yusa scored just before the referee blew for half time. Aizawl have, meanwhile stepped up the ante and were dominating possession. They were also helped by the fact that Shillong gave away the ball cheaply on repeated occasions. Aizawl were not happy with the match officials before this match and the way the players and Khalid Jamil are arguing with the referee, it seems they really haven’t warmed up to him yet.
		+
		+	2012 hrs IST: Second half kicks off, just a reminder, as it stands, Aizawl are winning the I-League title. If Mohun Bagan beat Chennai City and Aizawl lose to Lajong, the title goes to Mohun Bagan.
		+
		+	2015 hrs IST: It has been a bright start from Aizawl but haven’t been clinical in the final third, so no goals to show.
		+
		+	2022 hrs IST: Jayesh Rane with a brilliant run slicing through the heart of the Lajong defence, the ball is snatched away from him inside the box and cleared. It finds Dika with only Zotya Ralte back to stop him.
		+
		+	2024 hrs IST: Aizawl find the back of the net and the players go berzerk but the goal is ruled out for off side. Replays show that the referee was spot on with his call.
		+
		+	2026 hrs IST: Another big chance for Aizawl, Shillong allowing the pressure to get to them. It was a corner and Lajong fail to clear it properly, the ball is sent back in and it is absolute chaos inside the box, the Lajong ‘keeper finally takes it into his hands.
		+
		+	2031 hrs IST: GOAL!! Lajong goalkeeper makes a blunder and Aizawl punish them. It should have been a simple take for Vishal Kaith but he came off his line, had second thoughts and went back. By this time, the ball went past him, hit the post and bounced back into the path of substitute William. The away supporters and Aizawl players celebrate hysterically.
		+
		+	2038 hrs IST: Kamo goes in for a tackle on the Lajong full back and the ball rolls out. He gets up, walks two steps and then goes down clutching his knee. Takes up a few valuable seconds.
		+
		+	2041 hrs IST: Mohun Bagan lead Chennai City. Aizawl need to keep the scoreline the way it is for at least 12 more minutes.
		+
		+	2044 hrs IST: Aizawl not choosing to sit back and defend. On the other hand, they are stepping up the ante in attack.
		+
		+	2046 hrs IST: When Mizoram last won the Fed Cup, the state chief minister had declared a public holiday. Wonder what it will be this time, if Aizawl hold on, that is. They are on course to becoming the first North Eastern team to win a top tier title.
		+
		+	2053 hrs IST: A cross into the box and Kamo rises majestically, couldn’t get enough power. On the other end, Dika is taken out just inside the box and appeals for the spot kick, referee says no.
		+
		+	2057 hrs IST: Ohh that would have been something! Four minutes of injury time and Lajong take two shots on goal, first deflected away, second hits the post out.
		+
		+	2101 hrs IST: FULL TIME!! AIZAWL HAVE WON THE I-LEAGUE TITLE AND THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN.

	=See also=		=See also=

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:51, 30 April 2017
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	For long, we were comfortable with identifying the North East as the supply line of footballers to the rest of the country . If Manipur was the pioneer till a decade ago, Mizoram is the standard to follow today as many as was 58 players from Mizoram play for club in the ten-team I-League. Now they are carving out their own identity as a footballing unit on the national level.		For long, we were comfortable with identifying the North East as the supply line of footballers to the rest of the country . If Manipur was the pioneer till a decade ago, Mizoram is the standard to follow today as many as was 58 players from Mizoram play for club in the ten-team I-League. Now they are carving out their own identity as a footballing unit on the national level.
		+	==2017: Historic triumph in I-League==
		+	[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/i-league/aizawl-fc-script-history-become-first-north-east-club-to-win-i-league-title/articleshow/58448033.cms Siddharth Saxena \| Aizawl FC script history, become first north-east club to win I-League title \| TNN \| Apr 30, 2017\| IndiaTimes/ ''The Times of India'']
		+
		+
		+	HIGHLIGHTS
		+
		+	Aizawl ended the league on 37 points while Bagan finished second on 36
		+
		+	Lajong went ahead in the ninth minute through A Dipanda
		+
		+	But Aizawl equalised in the 67th minute through W Lalnunfela
		+
		+
		+	SHILLONG: In the end, all you could see were hands, pairs and pairs of hands, reaching out to the faceless bunch of men in the middle. Someone held aloft a trophy with a shiny globe on top. It glistened in the sea of heads, it seemed like the eye of a whirlpool of humans, the epicentre of a man-made quake.
		+
		+	In the middle, somewhere, was that group of men who caused this tremor in the first place. A mere 25 policemen in attendance, Meghalaya's Chief Minister in attendance too, but over 3,000 delirious Mizos had spilled onto the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, making the idea that Aizawl - and Indian football - was a people's idea. Aizawl FC were the champions of Indian football.
		+
		+	But first. Just how difficult is the idea of not losing than simply winning, was cruelly dawning upon Aizawl FC as they chased Shillong Lajong's blistering early pace and ninth minute goal.
		+
		+	Lajong, with the fourth spot finish out of reach, would now look to spoil the Aizawl party, and relish these uncharacteristic offerings by the league leaders - of a lack of confidence and a strange absence of ideas.
		+
		+	In an unexpected twist, 34 minutes into the twin encounters being on either side of the hills in this I-League final round - down in Kolkata where Mohun Bagan hosted Chennai City FC and ferociously sought a win, any win - a wild cheer rose in Aizawl section of the Shillong stadium which was rapidly turning morose by the minute when the announcer told us that the Kolkata giants were trailing.
		+
		+	It was also the phase where Aizawl would play their best football, calm and composed in their build-up.
		+
		+	Then we were told that Bagan had equalised in Kolkata. No surprise there, but it meant that it was back to the trenches for Aizawl. A close goalline grab by Vishal Kaith, the Lajong goalkeeper only meant what it was - so close.
		+
		+	Then came the equaliser, in the 62nd minute, a William Fela header, but it wasn't. Assistant referee Asit Kumar Sarkar had his flag up as Fela's head met the ball. It was a hair's-breadth margin and could debate it for all time to come had substitute William Lalnunfelar not tapped in from close range. Jamil, who had been remonstrating with Sarkar, hands folded, pleading, rushed past the linesman to go down on his knees at the corner flag.
		+
		+	All 23,000 of the northeast faithful were now chanting, "Aizawl, Aizawl!" Since the game had begun, this was probably the first time, you could perhaps hear that name.
		+
		+	Then, in so far yet so near Kolkata, Darrel Duffy scored for Bagan. What he should have done a week earlier in Aizawl, he was doing now. 2-1, Bagan and it was the 77th minute. They were breathing down Aizawl's neck, refusing to let go. Now it was Lajong's gambit to kill it. The four minutes of added time - last four minutes - would prove agonizingly long. Twice Lajong would come within swiping distance of the goal, each time everyone present would be certain it was in, while Jamil would wage an argument with his bench over a substitution, being made or not to be made. Were the nerves showing? Both times the ball would trail down past the post, out.
		+
		+	Then referee Pranjal Banerjee would blow for time. It would all be over.

	=See also=		=See also=

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 [[File: MizoFooty.jpg| The heroic Mizoram Santosh Trophy Team 2014 in the City Park a month before their historic victory. Standing (L-R) : Laldinpuia (Physio), V. Laltanpuia, H. Lalmuankima, Zothanpuia, Lallawmzuala, KC Lalchhuanawma, Lalbiakhlua, Lalnunmawia, R. Laldanmawia, Lalfakzuala, David Lalrinmuana, HC Zarzoliana (coach).Sitting (L-R) : Lalawmpuia, C. Malsawmkima, William Lalnunfela, Zico Zoremsanga, K. Lalrinzuala, Ronald Zothanzama, F. Lalrinpuia, Lalruatthara, Ricky Lalawmawma, Vanlalhriata. Photo courtesy: Vanglaini/ [http://www.zofooty.com/photo/view/title/mizoram-santosh-trophy-team-2014-city-park-photo-session ZoFooty]|frame|500px]]
-[[File: Aizawl FC logo.jpg| Aizawl Football Club logo |frame|500px]]
+[[File: Aizawl FC logo.png| Aizawl Football Club logo |frame|500px]]
 [[Category:India|M]]
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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |}
 [[File: MizoFooty.jpg| The heroic Mizoram Santosh Trophy Team 2014 in the City Park a month before their historic victory. Standing (L-R) : Laldinpuia (Physio), V. Laltanpuia, H. Lalmuankima, Zothanpuia, Lallawmzuala, KC Lalchhuanawma, Lalbiakhlua, Lalnunmawia, R. Laldanmawia, Lalfakzuala, David Lalrinmuana, HC Zarzoliana (coach).Sitting (L-R) : Lalawmpuia, C. Malsawmkima, William Lalnunfela, Zico Zoremsanga, K. Lalrinzuala, Ronald Zothanzama, F. Lalrinpuia, Lalruatthara, Ricky Lalawmawma, Vanlalhriata. Photo courtesy: Vanglaini/ [http://www.zofooty.com/photo/view/title/mizoram-santosh-trophy-team-2014-city-park-photo-session ZoFooty]|frame|500px]]
 [[Category:India|M]]
 [[Category: Sports|F]]
 [[Category: Places|M]]
 =The sources of this series of articles on Football in Mizoram include=
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 [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Club-from-nowhere-scripts-Indian-footballing-fairytale-23042017027018    Sourav M | Club from nowhere scripts Indian footballing fairytale Apr 23 2017 : The Times of India (Delhi)]
+[[File: Zohmingliana (Zotea) Ralte's all-important goal.jpg|Zohmingliana (Zotea) Ralte's all-important goal in the 83rd minute helped Aizawl FC beat the mighty Mohun Bagan 1-0 in April 2017 before an ecstatic home crowd. |frame|500px]]
 Aizawl A Match Away From I-League Title