Meghalaya Invitation Football Tourney
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Police Football Team (MLPFT) defeated Mizoram XI 2-0 to reach the quarter-final of the 22nd All India Meghalaya Invitation Football Tournament at the First Division Ground, Polo here on Monday.
The State police team started on an impressive note to keep the Mizoram players on the back foot. Besides sharing maximum ball possession, the MLPFT players kept the Mizoram defenders busy.
The local team got several openings to score early in the match but failed to convert.
It was in the 27th minute that MLPFT finally went into the lead after its striker Bestar Pariong netted one for his team.
MLPFT continued their dominance after the goal as the Mizoram players struggled to get acclimatised to the conditions. The visiting team did show some resistance but could not perform consistently which turned out to be a big let down for them.
At a time when the Mizoram players were looking to come back into the match, Plassing Myrthong scored a stunner to give MLPFT a 2-0 lead in the closing stages of the first half.
Mizoram XI seemed a different team in the second half as they looked to dominate the proceedings.
While MLPFT looked to defend their two goal advantage, the visiting team increased its volley of attacks in order to reduce the deficit.
However, despite the efforts the Mizoram players could not create any real chance to score.
In the closing stages of the match MLPFT nearly hit its third goal after skipper Milton Kharsati’s shot hit the bar. With this defeat, Mizoram is out of the tournament.
On Tuesday,Shillong Premier Leauge runners-up Ar-Hima will play Green Valley SC, Assam.