They left it late but an 86th minute goal by super sub Damanbhalang Chyne gave Langsning FC a 1-0 victory over Sawmer SC in their Shillong Premier League 2023 match at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here today.
Brought on as a second half substitute, Damanbhalang hit the crossbar but the ball bounced down and over the line following a beautiful cross to him by Dawanplielad Myrchiang.
The win lifts Langsning to fourth place in the standings as they now have 6 points, while Sawmer stay mired at the bottom with 0. Although they lost their previous three matches as well, this was the first time that Sawmer were unable to score despite the untiring efforts of their lead man Mark Austin Wanswett. For Langsning, meanwhile, this was the first time that they had managed to keep a clean sheet.
Langsning had the more attacks in the first half but they could not find the level of accuracy required. Sawmer, on the other hand, appeared a little timid by comparison.
Kitboklang Pale had a shot over the crossbar in the eighth minute and his Langsning team mate Lukas Syngkli had a near miss with a header off a corner kick in the 25th.
Mark and Diego Khriam have scored all five of Sawmer’s goals between them in the preceding matches and the club were relying on them today as well, though it was the former who was in the thick of the action more often. Mark had a good attempt in the 39th minute despite being harried by defenders but his shot was slightly off target.
The best chance of the first half fell to Langsning in stoppage time, when a foul on Chanmitre Thma on the penalty arc gave the team a free-kick. Taken by Sheen Sohktung, he would have been disappointed to see his kick go wide.
Langsning had three corners and a free-kick in a dangerous position early on in the second half but could make no impact.
Sawmer also had their chances, with Preciousland Kharbhih unhappy with himself when he failed to convert a good cross to him in the box. Later, one of his team mates then struck the woodwork.
At the other end of the pitch, Nikelson Bina skirted one just over the top of the net and later hit the crossbar.
Mark would go on to have two chances but the first went wide as he had to spin around to make contact and the second saw him place the ball straight into the hands of Langsning goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar.
Sawmer thus came close to their first point of the season but will have to wait until their fifth match next week.
Tomorrow, Ryntih SC, now in fifth place, will face Nangkiew Irat SC at 3pm. Nangkiew Irat are in seventh place, lower than Nongthymmai SC on head-to-head and will want to move up in the standings, the same of which can be said of Ryntih.
