Lalrinzuala’s stunning hat-trick helped Aizawl FC break their long winless streak and beat Delhi 4-2 in the 2024-25 I-League on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 Football Club (Delhi FC). The two teams were tied 2-2 at halftime.
Lalrinzuala scored three goals (20′, 60′, 74′) while Zothanpuia (43′) scored the other goal. The goalscorers for Delhi FC were Junior Onguene Nkengue (10′) and Rahul Rawat (29′).
The win puts it ahead of Delhi FC on goal difference despite playing one more game. Derry remain one place behind the bottom with nine points.
Aizawl are the most entertaining team in the league so far this season, albeit often to their own detriment. The team has failed to keep a clean sheet since the second game of the season and has not won any of its past seven games. In the Aizawl match, goals are guaranteed even if the result is still hanging in the balance.
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Delhi took advantage of Aizawl’s loose defense coupled with provocation from the back to open the scoring in the 10th minute. Goalkeeper John Lalruatfela broke through the defense and played a loose pass, allowing Junior Nkengue to beat the defender in the penalty area.
The ball bounced off the Cameroonian and onto the post. Lalruate Fela made the save and could only watch as Nkenge picked up the rebound and scored the ball.
If Delhi’s goal was due to the home team’s ineffective performance, then Aizawl’s equalizer was purely instinctive. Agustin Larrochana headed the ball from the left side of the penalty area. When the defender failed to clear, Lalrinzula saw his chance, receiving the ball on the half-circle and firing the ball into the net.
The pendulum swung again and Derry were once again dominant, with balls in the air, particularly from corners, questioning the home side’s defensive readiness. The team took the lead in the 29th minute from a corner kick when Hriday Jain curled in the goal and Rahul Rawat rose uncontested to head home the goal. The defender’s deft header bounced off the ground and hit the roof of the net, leaving many of Aizawl’s defenders red-faced.
Aizawl surged forward again and leveled the score again with two minutes left in the half when Zotanpuya received a cross from the right and volleyed low into the net.
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Aizawl withstood persistent attacking pressure from Delhi early in the second half. Lalrinzuela underlined his burgeoning goal-scoring pedigree with another fine strike just before the hour mark. The forward took advantage of a miscontrolled ball in the air and volleyed the ball from the top of the penalty area into the bottom corner. Aizawl took the lead for the first time in the match. The youngster’s brilliant third in the 74th minute deepened Derry’s desperation.
After receiving a through ball in midfield, he evaded his marker at the top of the area before tapping the ball into the goal, beating the goalkeeper at the near post. Aizawl played the rest of the game and overcame some nerves to claim their first win of the year.
