A stoppage time free-kick from substitute Zothanpuia Bawihtlung gave Nangkiew Irat SC a 1-0 win against Ryntih FC in the Shillong Premier League 2024 match at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here today.
In the second of three minutes of stoppage time, Zothanpuia (90’+2) unleashed a superb free-kick that sailed into the back of the net even though Ryntih goalkeeper Eric Nongkhlaw managed to get his fingertips to the ball with an energetic leap into the air.
Victory takes Nangkiew Irat up to fifth in the standings, tied on 9 points with Rangdajied United FC, who have a game in hand. The two sides have yet to meet and Rangdajied possess the better goal difference (+5 to 0). Ryntih stay at the very bottom of the table with 3 points – this was their sixth defeat in a row.
That is not to say that Ryntih did not create good opportunities to score throughout the match. Captain Dameki Khongstia worked overtime in the midfield to bring many of these about and his forced substitution for an injury when he was on the receiving end of a hard tackle was a blow to the team.
A couple of good Ryntih opportunities in the second half saw Leonardo Laloo unable to get his foot for a volley after a good counterattack, while Basuklang Bina timed a beautiful run that left Nangkiew Irat chasing. However, he had to swerve to the left to avoid the charging goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar and the resulting angle was too tight for Leonardo to score from.
For Nangkiew Irat, pressure on Eric saw the Ryntih goalkeeper lose the ball to Wallamsuk Nongkhlaw in the first half but the angle, again, was too tight and there was not enough space for Wallam, who made his return to the side after sitting out the last game for a suspension.
In the end it fell to Zothanpuia to bring about the victory with his direct free-kick, which was also his first goal of the OC Blue SPL season, though he had previously scored four for Nongkrem SC in the Second Division 2024 before coming on loan to Nangkiew Irat.
The next fixtures are scheduled for Friday. Nongrim Hills SC will face Langsning FC at 11:30am followed by Nongthymmai SC versus Nangkiew Irat at 2:30pm.
