By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: It was good day for the local clubs at the 22nd All India Meghalaya Football Invitation Tournament with both Royal Wahingdoh and Ar-Hima winning their quarter-final league matches played at First Division Ground, Polo here on Thursday.
Striker Babatunde O Badmus scored during the closing stages of the match for Ar-Hima to beat Nigeria XI 1-0, while Royal Wahingdoh beat SSB, Siliguri 2-0. Othello Banae scored in the 22nd minute and Vicky Kharkongor netted one in the 71st minute for the Royals.
Nigeria XI, who are the champions of 2010, dominated for most part of the match. The well built Nigerians used their body to advantage as they put the Ar-Hima defence in a spot of bother. Credit also goes to the local team’s defenders who denied the Nigerians any real opportunity to score. Even though Ar-Hima came out strongly in the second half, it was a more-or-less evenly poised encounter with both teams playing an attacking game.
It was in the 82nd minute that Babatunde scored to take Ar-Hima into the lead.
Babatunde had scored six goals in his team’s victory against Green Valley, Assam in the pre-quarterfinal.
Earlier in the day, Royal Wahingdoh FC which had rested majority of its top players for the match, extended their good run this year with a convincing 2-0 win over SSB, Siliguri. The Royals started on an atacking note and took lead through a Othello Banae goal in the 22nd minute. Later Vicky Kharkongor scored in the 71st minute to make it 2-0.
Langsning SC would take on Himalayan Sherpa, Nepal on Friday.
Correction
Apropos the item ‘Meghalaya cops enter semis’ (ST 8/12/2012), we clarify that MLPFT are yet to mkae it to the last four stage, which would be decided from the points they have in due course.
