Derbies and Durand have a very special connection as the derbies between the three Kolkata giants – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan have decided the winner of the Durand Cup fourteen times. The final of the 132nd Durand Cup was also played between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal where the former lifted the trophies. In recent years, we have also seen the Imphal Derby in the Durand Cup when Neroca FC and TRAU FC played at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.
The 133rd Durand Cup is being hosted in two new venues – Shillong and Jamshedpur and it is after 3231 days that the people of Shillong will be witnessing the Shillong derby in a national competition. The last time a Shillong derby took place was when Royal Wahingdoh FC and Shillong Lajong FC played a 1-1 draw in the 2014-15 I-League.
Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC on the other hand faced each other in the 2013-14 I-League season. In the first leg of the season, the teams played a 1-1 draw and in the return leg it was a goalless draw. Whereas, in the recently concluded Shillong Premier League 2023, Rangdajied United FC was the better side on both occasions, defeating The Reds 2-1 in the league stage and 1-0 in the semi-final.
Former Churchill Brothers FC and Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Vinay Singh, who was playing in goal for Shillong Lajong FC against Rangdajied United FC in their 1-1 draw in November 2013 had a clear memory of the game. “The crowd in those days used to come in massive numbers, it might have been more than 25 thousand on that evening. It was Rangdajied who took the lead in the first half and their fans took control of the chanting and shouting until we equalized after the 70th minute. The last 15 minutes of the game was an enthralling experience. The moment we would have possession in their half, it would be the Lajong fans cheering out loud and if we lost possession and they started an attack, it would be their fans who would cheer. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my playing career,” described the goalkeeper who was on bench in the return leg of the fixture.
Former Shillong Lajong, Royal Wahingdoh and NorthEast United FC player Marlangki Suting was amongst the guests during the FC Goa vs Tribhuvan Army FC game at the JN Stadium on Thursday. The former defender was in the winning Wahingdoh side when they faced Shillong Lajong in January 2015 during the I-League.
“I remember how much fun and exciting it was to play in front of a large crowd of spectators irrespective of the teams they supported. As players, during the game, when someone shouts and supports us, we felt more encouraged to play and to fight and show which is the best team and to let the spectators know what an exciting game it is to watch whenever there used to be a Shillong Derby,” said Marlangki while speaking about his time being a part of the Shillong derby.
Speaking about the upcoming Durand Cup derby between Shillong Lajong and United FC, Marlangki said, “Rangdajied would want to win tomorrow in the hopes of still having a chance to stay in the competition and the same goes for Lajong as well to avoid pressure in the last game against FC Goa. Nonetheless, the game will be very exciting, and I wish both teams to play well and display good football. May the best team win”
