Shillong, April 24: After four defeats, Sawmer SC picked up their first points of the Shillong Premier League 2023 with a superb 4-0 victory over Ryntih SC at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here on Wednesday.
Diego Khriam (27’), Lamshaphrang Kurbah (61’), an own goal by Ryntih (81’) and Rheadolf Daloi (90’P) made it a happy day for Sawmer and an awful one for Ryntih.
Diego had two chances before he eventually got his name first on the scoresheet, going over the crossbar and being denied by Ryntih goalkeeper Dipanjan Debnath, before sending a left-footer low past the left of the goalie in the 27th minute.
Lamshaphrang was then denied what would have been the goal of the season when he took a brave shot from close to the halfway line. Hit hard and on target, Dipanjan made a sharp save to push it over the crossbar.
Ryntih had a couple of good moves late in the first half, with today’s captain Wanshan Dkhar heading wide following a good cross before Banehskhem Khongsdam hit one into the outside of the net. Ryntih are more second half experts, however, and would have backed themselves to come back into the game. Out of 10 goals they have scored this season, nine have come in the second 45 minutes, with eight of these in the last half hour. That trend ended on Wednesday, though, as Sawmer did not just hold on to their one goal lead but extended it further, with no signs of a comeback by Ryntih. Lamshaphrang got his goal just past the hour, with Ryntih thinking that he was offside when a long ball was played to him on the right flank. However, the assistant referee kept the flag down and Lam went one-on-one with Dipanjan and nailed it to the latter’s left as the keeper charged off his line. Twenty minutes later, Mark Austin Wanswett aimed a cross from the right and Melvin Warjri threw himself forwards to keep the ball away from Diego but ended up sliding the ball into his own net.
The last bit of action saw a penalty awarded to Sawmer, which Rheadolf Nongneng Daloi converted to bring the curtains down on a successful match for Sawmer.
Ryntih remain in fourth place but they are in a precarious position as this was their penultimate round robin match. They have 7 points, one more than Langsning FC, who have two games in hand. Sawmer are now one of three clubs on 3 points, the other two being Nongthymmai SC and Nangkiew Irat SC. With a resounding 4-0 victory over Ryntih SC, Sawmer SC not only secured their first points in the Shillong Premier League 2023 but also showcased their dominance on the field. Diego Khriam’s early goal set the tone for Sawmer’s triumph, followed by Lamshaphrang Kurbah’s spectacular strike and an own goal by Ryntih, sealing the fate of the match.
On Thursday, Nongthymmai will take on Langsning at 3:15pm.
