By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Ar-Hima SC defeated Meghalaya Police Football Team (MLPFT) 2-0 in the second semi-final of the Shillong Premiere League (SPL) at First Division Ground, Polo here on Monday. Ar Hima would now face Langsning SC in the third-semi-final on Wednesday.
Royal Wahingdoh FC (RWFC) has already booked its place in the final to be played on December 3 by beating Langsning SC 2-1 in the first semi-final.
Ar-Hima proved a hard nut to crack for the MLPFT as they dominated the proceedings from the word go.
Ar-Hima went into the lead in the 12th minute after Kyrshan Lyngshing made a great run by beating two MLPFT defenders before pushing the ball out of reach for goalkeeper Alwyn Patweth. Three minutes later, Ar-Hima’s Nigerian striker Jeribe Kelechi, who was left unmarked, made no mistake to give his team a 2-0 lead.
Following this initial setback, MLFT failed to recover in the match.
MLFT did show some glimpses of getting back into the match especially in the second half with an increased ball possession. But their midfielders failed to create enough chances for the strikers to penetrate into the Ar-Hima defence.
The best opportunity for MLFT came in the 80th minute after Batkupar Lamare’s powerful strike from outside the box missed the goal post by a whisker.
Ar-Hima got several opportunities to increase the lead in the second half but its strikers failed to capitalise.
The match ended in a major disappointment for the State police team who had earlier defeated local giants Shillong Lajong FC in the league stages to make it to the semi-final.