Shillong, May 29: Nongkseh SSCC took one giant step towards the 5th Meghalaya State League title by defeating a spirited Rymbai Shkenshynriah SC 3-0 in the first semifinal at the SSA Stadium here today.
The thrilling match was played out in front of another packed stadium as football fans, including plenty of travelling supporters for Shkenshynriah, were treated to a high-class display of football, encapsulating just what the MSL was created to deliver when it was initiated by the Meghalaya Football Association with the full support of Meghalaya’s Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs in 2017.
Arlangky Nongsiej (39′) broke the deadlock in the first half and Nongkseh took full control of the game in the second half with two more goals by Chesterpaul Lyngdoh (75′) and Hardy Cliff Nongbri (86′). The latter was named the Hello Meghalaya Man of the Match and received his cheque of Rs 10,000 and memento from the Director of NEIGRIHMS, Dr Nalin Mehta.
Nongkseh now progress to the final where they will face the winner of the Langsning FC-Shillong Lajong FC second semifinal, which will take place tomorrow.
Today’s scoreline did not quite reflect the intensity of the contest, with Shkenshynriah particularly dangerous with their fast-paced play at least before the third goal knocked the wind out of their sails.
The team from East Jaintia Hills had been here before, having reached the semis of MSL 4 last year, while this is the very first time that Nongkseh are playing in this tournament at all.
Hardy was instrumental in the first goal, as his corner was punched away by Shkenshynriah goalkeeper Livingstar Swer. However, the ball went back to the Nongkseh skipper and he delivered a cross to which Shkenshynriah responded indecisively, which allowed Arlangky to score from close range.
Backed by their wonderful fans, who were equally passionate as those of Nongkseh, Shkenshynriah tried to force an equaliser early in the second half. It almost came about when Nongkseh’s Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw delivered a poor back pass to keeper Guidle Syiemlieh but the custodian rushed out and prevented an opposition player from getting a shot on goal, though the two collided. Guidle struggled on for a few more minutes but had to eventually be replaced by Daraphun Tlang.
Nongkseh did not convert all of their chances, with Khrawkupar Jana and Shano Tariang both missing shots they should have put away but there was no mistake by Chesterpaul, who scored from an Aibiangmame Nongneng cross. Hardy then put the game to bed with a right-footer from outside the box when in space.
The second mouthwatering semifinal will take place on Saturday at 6pm in the SSA Stadium.
Langsning topped Group B of the quarterfinal stage, winning five matches and losing one. They also sailed through the preliminary Group F and their Round of 16 knockout. With a team with such an illustrious history, it is something of an oddity that Langsning have only once been to an MSL semifinal before, in the inaugural edition in 2017 where they lost to Tynrongmawsaw SC.
The only question mark for an otherwise dominant Langsning is whether they have been tested enough in MSL 5. One cannot say that of the team they will be facing, Shillong Lajong, who cruised through preliminary Group E and the Round of 16 before being slotted in the same quarterfinal group as Nongkseh, to whom they lost once but otherwise came away undefeated. Lajong are the only former champions left in the competition, having won the 2019 edition. They were also runners-up in MSL 4.
