Shillong, July 31 -- On most evenings in Shillong, football is simply part of everyday life. It spills onto school grounds, neighbourhood pitches and roadside conversations. Children finish classes only to rush to the nearest field, while older fans debate line-ups over cups of tea. Here, football is not an event. It is routine.

On Friday, however, Shillong's football story splits into two dreams. One belongs to a club determined to finish what it started. The other belongs to a club taking its first steps on India's oldest football stage.

When Shillong Lajong FC walk onto the pitch at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to face Nongkseh Sports & Social Cultural Club (SS&CC), it will not merely mark the opening fixture of Group E of the 135th ...