Shillong, Jul 25: It was no walk in the park for Langsning in the opening match of the Shillong Premier League 2026, with the defending champions winning the contest 1-0 against a spirited Sawmer at the SSA Stadium here today.
Kyrmenskhem Mukhim brought relief to Langsning with the only goal of the game in the 81st minute.
This is the 15th edition of the SPL, the premier football league in the Shillong area and a fan favourite across Meghalaya. Senior members of the Shillong Sports Association were on hand to greet the players and match officials ahead of the kick-off.
Langsning strengthened their squad ahead of the upcoming Durand Cup 2026 but it looked like the new players still need some more time to find their feet in the new set-up.
Syed Ahmed, Langsning’s tall striker, had a couple of look-ins in the first half but could not make them count. His best chance, though, came in the 69th minute when Kyrmen set him up for a shot right in front of goal while he was unmarked. However, the striker swung his boot through the air and connected with nothing at all. Samuel L Kynshi also failed to time a high ball just before half time, sending it into the stands. He had two chances in one attacking sequence early in the second half but the first was blocked by a defender and the second miscued.
The goalkeepers were the stars of the show, with Langsning’s Rajat Paul Lyngdoh making a good save to deny Sawmer’s Raikutshisha Buam’s 38th minute header. And at the other end, Pyrshangbanbha Dkhar, Sawmer’s custodian, was called on to make some excellent saves throughout the game.
In the second half Sawmer had a couple of promising free-kicks but these were both wasted. The deadlock was finally broken by Kyrmen. Samuel Phawa crossed the ball to him from the left and Kyrmen, positioned at the far side, tapped it in with Pyrshangbanbha unable to stop it.
Match 2 of SPL 2026 will take place on Monday between newly-promoted Nongkseh and Mylliem at 6PM.
This will be the second season for Mylliem in the SPL – they managed to just about avoid relegation last year and will want to stamp their mark this year, though it will be a tough task to do so against Nongkseh, who have been all-conquering in different tournaments in the past year.
(Shillong Sports Association photo. Langsning in blue-black, Sawmer in white)
