Shillong/Kolkata, August 1, 2024: Shillong is all set for the grand opening of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup as the capital city of Meghalaya makes its debut as hosts of Asia’s oldest football tournament. Home side Shillong Lajong FC will be adding to the festival mood in the city, taking on Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC in the Group F opener at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with the kick-off scheduled for 4 PM IST. The second match of the day will see Downtown Heroes FC from Srinagar face Indian Air Force FT in Group A at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan for a 7 PM start.
All 43 matches of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) as well as livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform
After an elaborately planned and what promises to be a dazzling opening ceremony combined with a musical festival, I-League side Shillong Lajong will look to open their Group F campaign with a win against the experienced Tribhuvan Army with the group also including ISL side Hyderabad FC and 2021 Durand Cup winners FC Goa. In the last edition of the tournament, they finished third in Group D with three points winning against Downtown Heroes FC and losing the other two matches against FC Goa and NorthEast United FC.
Speaking ahead of the game, Head Coach of Shillong Lajong Jose Hevia said, “The expectations for the tournament are always high and we are in a positive mood. Although the number of practice sessions have been few before the first match, the commitment, intensity and willingness to improve continuously is always high in with all our players. We do not have much information about the opposition but the team will approach all matches with the biggest intensity and commitment.”
On the other hand, Tribhuvan Army who made their debut in the 132nd IndianOil Durand Cup will look to give a better account of themselves with some inspired performances. They could only manage a single point from Group E with a draw against Delhi FC and losing the other two matches against Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad FC.
Expressing his thoughts about the game, Tribhuvan Army FC Head Coach Meghraj KC said, “We could not perform well last year in our debut in the tournament but this year we are well prepared and aim to qualify for the next round from the group. Shillong Lajong is a good side and we are expecting a good match tomorrow against them.”
Match two
In the second match of the day, Downtown Heroes FC will take on Indian Air Force FT in a Group A encounter. Both teams will look to register their first points in the tournament after losing their opening games to Kolkata Giants, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal FC respectively.
Downtown Heroes showed resilience and grit in their narrow 1-0 defeat against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The defending champions found it difficult to penetrate the defence of the side from Srinagar until they scored deep into the second half. Downtown Heroes will look to maintain the same defensive structure but will also want to be more effective while going forward.
On the other hand Indian Air Force FT stunned the Salt Lake stadium by taking the lead inside 20 minutes against Emami East Bengal but could not maintain the pressure as the star studded Red and Gold Brigade scored thrice to inflict defeat on the Air Men. Head Coach Priyadarshan will look to cash in on the experience of his players to get a positive results out of the game.
