SHILLONG: Marbisu SC ensured themselves of a semifinal spot in the U-14 Football Tournament 2013, organised by the Shillong Sports Association, when they beat Risa Colony SC 2-0 in the first match played on Monday and therefore topped their group.
Both goals were scored by Wanshanbok Kurbah in the 10th and 20th minutes.
Not content with their lead, Marbisu tried for an additional goal, but Risa stood firm and did not concede further, even if they could not find a goal for themselves.
Marbisu will now play Shillong Lajong in the semis.
The second match of the day, although inconsequential in terms of semifinal qualification, saw Malki and Lawmali end with shared honours.
Malki scored as early as in the fourth minute through Jared Khyriam and added another in the 18th through Marban Diengdoh.
Both teams played attacking football despite being out of the running for a spot in the last-four.
Lawmali came close to scoring on two occasions in the first half, but could not convert.
Lawmali also had their goalkeeper to thank for preventing further attempts on goal by their opponents.
With the first session ending 2-0 in favour of Malki, Lawmali started the second on a positive note.
Taking advantage of an advancing goalie, Rudolf Kharmetee lobbed the ball into the Malki net in the 34th minute. Lawmali then earned a penalty in the 45th minute, but Kharmetee’s shot from the spot went wide.
Just when it looked as though Malki would go home victorious, Lawmali utilised one final scoring opportunity in the dying seconds of the match and bagged the equaliser through Ronanson Tron.
Semifinals timings: The first semifinal will be played between Umlyngka and Royal Wahingdoh at 2:30pm on Tuesday and the second semifinal will be played between Shillong Lajong and Marbisu on Wednesday at 11:00am. Both matches will be held at the Artificial Turf Ground No III in Polo.
The final will be played on February 16 at the same venue.