Cannot describe my feeling after scoring the equaliser: SC East Bengal’s Lalrinliana Hnamte
Having trailed by two goals within the first 15 minutes of the match, SC East Bengal staged a remarkable comeback in their previous match, against Chennaiyin FC to secure a point from the contest.
Having trailed by two goals within the first 15 minutes of the match, SC East Bengal staged a remarkable comeback in their previous match, against Chennaiyin FC in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) to secure a point from the contest.
Hira Mondal’s own goal in the second minute gave Chennaiyin FC the advantage, as Ninthoinganba Meetei doubled the lead for them 12 minutes later. After constant attempts to breach the target, the Kolkata-based side succeeded in the 61st minute, by virtue of a Darren Sidoel strike, while Lalrinliana Hnamte scored his first Hero ISL goal in the stoppage time to draw level.
A part of the Hyderabad FC reserves in the previous season, the midfielder was roped in by the Red and Gold Brigade ahead of the Hero ISL 2021-22. Hnamte has played 12 of the 15 matches for SC East Bengal this season. However, it was the flying header against Chennaiyin FC that really got people talking.
“I cannot describe my feelings at that moment (after scoring the goal). I am very happy to score the goal (the winner) and help the team to get one point. It’s really good for me and the team,” said Lalrinliana Hnamte, during an interaction with the SC East Bengal media team.
The seniors were pretty impressed with the attempt, as Hnamte followed their pointers after missing out to convert from quite a few opportunities in the past matches. The youngster is hoping to continue the good work for the remainder of the season.
“They said good. I had a lot of missed chances in the match against Hyderabad FC, they advised me to strike in one touch, then only I would be able to score goals. And I have to keep going like this,” recalled the footballer.
SC East Bengal are now at the 10th position in the league table, with just 10 points from 15 matches, which includes one win and seven draws. They are set to face Odisha FC on Monday evening and Hnamte is confident of logging full points from the game.
“They are a good team (Odisha FC), but we know ourselves better. The coach believes us and if we do better, then we can get three points easily,” stated Hnamte.
