Shillong Premier League
Shillong, March 3: Nangkiew Irat SC climbed from sixth to fourth place in the Shillong Premier League 2024 standings by sweeping aside Ryntih FC 6-0 at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, on Monday.
The first goal by Damehun Syih (58’) took some time to come – nearly an hour into the game – but that led to a deluge, with Shaibor Nongrum (60’, 63’), Wanpynshngain Nongsteng (66’), Khangmiki Pale (78’) and Wallamsuk Nongkhlaw (82’) also getting on the scoresheet by the end. The result means that Nangkiew Irat now have 25 points from 17 games, with one to play. That dropped Langsning FC, with 24 points and having played all their matches, to fifth and Laitkor SC, who have 23 points and two matches to play, to sixth.A minute’s silence was held before the start of the game in remembrance of SS Rapthap, Vice-President of the Shillong Sports Association, who passed away on Saturday evening. His funeral will take place tomorrow and the SSA has decided to postpone the scheduled fixture to another date.
In the game, the two teams were extremely cautious during the first half but Nangkiew Irat came to life in the second by aggressively seeking to score by a big margin.
The first goal saw Damehun find the back of the net but only after Shaibor had his earlier shot foiled by Ryntih stand-in goalkeeper Derick Khongsit.
Two minutes later, Jefferson Pakyntein set up Shaibor’s first and the two were involved once again in Nangkiew Irat’s third goal. This time Jefferson’s attempt was blocked but Shaibor scored from the rebound. Wanpynshngain delivered a strong left-footer at eye-level and the ball burst through Derick’s gloves for the fourth goal in under 10 minutes.
Later on, substitutes Khangmiki and Wallamsuk added one apiece to complete the rout.
The next match in the SPL 2024 will take place on Wednesday between Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC at 3pm. Lajong had won the reverse fixture 2-1 on October 24. Nangkiew Irat SC’s emphatic 6-0 victory over Ryntih FC not only boosted their standing in the Shillong Premier League 2024 but also kept their hopes alive for a top-four finish. The second-half blitzkrieg underlined Nangkiew Irat’s attacking prowess as they capitalised on Ryntih’s defensive frailties.