AIZAWL FC SUFFERED their first defeat of their Mizoram Premier League campaign in dramatic fashion to Mizoram Police by a 6-5 goalfest.
The first half saw dominance from the People's Club, with Alfred Jaryan opening the scoring 10 minutes in. Rocharzela made it 2-0 for Aizawl just before the half hour mark, and Lalbiakhlua got one back for Mizoram Police just minutes later.
But Aizawl's forward march continued with Hmangaihkima scoring near the 40 minute mark and before half time, both Rocharzela and Jaryan completed their braces.
At the break, Aizawl FC had a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead.
But in the second half Mizoram Police made a comeback that few saw coming.
Malsawmtluanga scored shortly after the match resumed. And after the hour mark Aizawl FC suffered a spell of abysmal defending during which Lalbiakhlua scored once and Lalnuansanga scored twice within a 5 minute period. All of a sudden, the scoreline was level 5-5, with 20 minutes still left to play.
Both sides created chances as the game progressed towards the final few minutes. And with just a couple of minutes left on the clock, it was Lalbiakthanga who got the clincher for Mizoram Police, ensuring a final scoreline of 6-5.
Despite this defeat, Aizawl FC have a head start in the league, maintaining a 3 point advantage with 24 points from 11 matches. But Mizoram Police seem to be catching up with 21 points from their 11 games.
With 3 matches left in the league stage, this has set up a hard fight for the summit as well as a potential showdown for the crown in the playoffs.