A Nagaland United player (sky blue and white) falls to the ground amid a challenge from Gokulam Kerala players (maroon) during their Indian Football League match at Chümoukedima Football Stadium on Saturday. (EM Images)
Chümoukedima, Nov. 14 (EMN): Five minutes before the referee blew the whistle to set this historic occasion rolling, the stadium PA system unleashed the famous opening riffs of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck—a song so marinated in the high-octane energy of rock ’n’ roll that Marvel uses it to soundtrack Iron Man.
Turns out that this gnarled rock ’n’ roll anthem would indeed set the tone for the evening, as the game unfurled under the softening air of a November night at Chümoukedima Football Stadium.
Thunder did strike thrice. The last one, in particular, left a trail of heartbreak in its wake.
For a few glorious minutes, it seemed Nagaland United had summoned the storm themselves in their Indian Football League (IFL) home debut. Zomuansanga Lalnunzira’s 90+6th-minute penalty had sent Chümoukedima into raptures and appeared to have salvaged a point from a match Nagaland had dominated for long stretches.
Then, with the final kick of the night, Victor Matheus Da Silva Matos converted a 90+9th-minute penalty to hand Gokulam Kerala a 2-1 victory that felt less like a football result and more like a cruelly timed lightning bolt.
The first attack came within 2 minutes from kickoff by the team that had climbed up from the southernmost tip of the country: a chance was volleyed wide by their left winger.
A Nagaland United player (sky blue and white) advances with the ball as a Gokulam Kerala player (maroon) defends during their Indian Football League match at Chümoukedima Football Stadium on Saturday. (EM Images)
At Srinagar, Nagaland United had shown how lethal they could be on the counterattack. Five minutes after Kerala’s early chance, NU produced two dazzling counter-raids of their own to answer the attempts at their goal.
This represented an extended period of domination for NU, so much so that by the 13th minute the Kerala coach was spotted swearing and cussing in disgust at the dugout.
Then came the moment that bent the evening against the run of play.
In the 18th minute, Brazilian forward Crislan Henrique Da Silva De Sousa found himself unmarked inside the box, took one touch and smashed the ball into the NU net. The goal came after Kerala’s left winger had wriggled free and been brought down, allowing Crislan to pounce on the loose ball.
The hosts came close to an equaliser in the 23rd minute. JH Remlala, NU’s No. 30, was superb in distribution – running well, protecting the ball and giving the home side a rhythm that Kerala struggled to disrupt.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Nagaland United had three penalty appeals turned down. The partisan crowd bayed for blood. Instead, the half ended 1-0 to Gokulam.
Nagaland United supporters cheer during the Indian Football League match against Gokulam Kerala at Chümoukedima Football Stadium on Saturday. (EM Images)
Chants, cards and defiance
The second half turned testy and confrontational. The referee had already reached into his pocket in the 40th minute, booking Zomuansanga before the half-time whistle. The second half began with another booking, this time for Eric Remruatpuia Chhangte, NU’s No. 41, and the game promptly became more physical.
Then, just when it seemed Gokulam had weathered the storm, the breakthrough came for the hosts. In the 95th minute, defender Sarthak Goloui brought down the curtain on Gokulam’s resistance by conceding a penalty.
The whole stadium rose to its feet, ringing out chorus after chorus as Zomuansanga Lalnunzira stepped up to take it. Even Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who had maintained a composed, stately presence inside the glassed VIP enclosure until then, was on his feet as the penalty was taken.
Zomuansanga held his nerve, and the entire stadium went berserk. The chief minister pumped a fist as the ball hit the net, and Chümoukedima seemed to believe, if only for a moment, that Nagaland had stolen a point from the jaws of defeat.
Then, heartbreak in the blink of an eye. In the dying seconds, Gokulam were awarded a penalty of their own. Victor Matheus Da Silva Matos stepped up in the 90+9th minute and made no mistake, scoring with the very last kick of the match to seal the game.
Spectators perched atop a wall watch the Indian Football League match between Nagaland United and Gokulam Kerala at Chümoukedima Football Stadium on Saturday. (EM Images)
Captain’s verdict
“It was a great game and a tough game. It was a tough opponent. But, as you know, the last minute, how we concede like the penalty and all, it’s very bad and it’s very emotional for us also. But we have to keep our head up and move on to the next game,” Rohmingthanga said after the final whistle.
The captain defended his side’s structure, even as he acknowledged the cost of failing to turn territorial control into goals.
On the first-half display, Rohmingthanga was candid: Nagaland kept the ball but could not always put it forward.
“In the first half, we kept the ball, but we cannot keep up… we cannot put the ball forward. That’s bad for us. But in the second half, as you can see, we put a lot of pressure on the opponent. In the first half also, we had a lot of chances, but we couldn’t convert it, so we’ll work on this and come back stronger,” he said.
Security personnel stationed during the Indian Football League match watch the game between Nagaland United and Gokulam Kerala on Saturday. (EM Images)
For a club playing its first home match in the IFL, the atmosphere was impossible to ignore. Rohmingthanga described the support as “unbelievable”.
“The fans were behind us. This is a fortress for us, so we will come back stronger. I can promise you that in the next game, we will win,” he said.
Asked how he handled the pressure of leading a new club in Nagaland’s first IFL campaign, the captain pointed to continuity rather than novelty. “This team is not like it was formed one month ago. This team has been together for two, three years. We have a great coaching staff, and the management gives good support, so it’s not that hard to handle,” he said.
It was not the result anticipated for a historic match in Nagaland. But in terms of pure drama and heart-thumping spectacle, Chümoukedima had rarely – if ever – witnessed anything quite like it.
