ISL 7: Jamil dubs Lalengmawia as 'one of the best midfielders in India'

NorthEast United's interim head coach Khalid Jamil praised Lalengmawia saying that he is "one of the best midfielders in India".

NorthEast United FC entered the top four in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) standings after a 2-1 victory against table-toppers Mumbai City FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday. Deshorn Brown scored both goals for NorthEast and substitute Adam le Fondre netted once for Mumbai City.

Praising Lalengmawia after the match, Jamil said: "Frankly speaking, he's one of the best midfielders in India. I never tell him what to do. He always plays with a lot of energy and the same rhythm. Even in my playing career, I've never seen a player like him. I think he's one of our best players."

He also praised Brown who took his NorthEast goals tally to three with the brace. "He's one of the strikers who never thinks about goals but rather about the team winning. That's a plus point," Jamil said.

Reflecting on the match, Jamil said: "The players are working very hard. I just tell them to play their normal game and how they want to play... we got two early goals and we kept the ball very well. We finished the first half 2-0 up and they also played well with their quality players. They tried hard but we [also] worked hard and got what we wanted."

He further said: "We played them thinking that they are at the top of the league, so everyone was motivated and knew that it wouldn't be an easy game. We knew it would be a difficult game."

( With inputs from ANI )