Shillong, Sep 30: Nangkiew Irat delivered a shock to Ryntih by beating them 2-1 in the Shillong Premier League at the JN Stadium here today.
Damehun Syih scored for Nangkiew in the 41st minute. Shano Tariang doubled the lead in the 53rd before Sheen Sohktung pulled one back for Ryntih in the 74th.
It was a slow start to the game with neither side looking their best. Both teams saw players of theirs take part in the Santosh Trophy North East qualifiers recently for the Meghalaya state team, while Ryntih were also involved in a tournament in Assam, which meant that there were quite a few changes to the team, with key players perhaps needing a rest.
Roikhihbha Nongtdu (one of Nangkiew’s players who took part in the Santosh Trophy) came on as a first half substitute and created the first goal when he delivered the ball to Syih, who fired it in from the edge of the box. This ended Nangkiew’s three-match goalless run and stunned Ryntih’s supporters.
Early in the second half and deep in Ryntih’s side of the pitch, the ball looked to be going out of touch and Ryntih’s players looked like they had given up on it. Unfortunately for them Nongtdu had no such intention. He chased after the ball, kept it in play and crossed into the box. It bounced around for a bit, with neither Nangkiew able to score or Ryntih able to effectively clear before falling to Tariang just inside the box, who smashed it into the net.
Ryntih tried time and again to find their way back, while Nangkiew, sitting on a two-goal cushion, looked to slow the game down as much as possible. A cross from the right finally led to Sohktung tapping in to pull a goal back. From then on it was a battle of wills and Monlang Shylla, Nangkiew’s goalkeeper, won plaudits from his team mates after a double block in the 90th minute, one of which was a reflex denial after a Ryntih player aimed to score off the rebound from close out.
Nangkiew now move to third in the standings on eight points, dropping Ryntih, who have six, into fourth.
Tomorrow Laban are scheduled to face Langsning at 3:15PM.
(TSR photo. Nangkiew Irat are in red, Ryntih in white/black)