Shillong, Aug 26: Mawlai were given a scare but came from a goal down to beat a feisty Mylliem 2-1 in their Shillong Premier League 2026 match at the SSA Stadium here today.
Istarbor Marngar (33’) sent a shockwave throughout the ground with a blistering opening goal for Mylliem but Basuklang Bina (41’) equalised before half time and Mawlai snatched the winner in stoppage time through Lovingstar Suting (90’+4). This was the third time in the last four games that a team came from behind to win.
Mylliem have had a rough start to the season with two defeats, while Mawlai have been at the top of the standings at the end of the first two rounds with one win and a draw and they retain their top spot with this result.
Istarbor had not played this season before today but got his start and produced a sensational long-range effort for the lead. His teammate Remark Kharmalki had taken the ball up the middle of the pitch and lost it in a tackle but Istarbor stormed in and delivered a fantastic shot that beat the flying Mawlai goalkeeper Lambhamiki Lamare. This was the first goal conceded by Mawlai this season.
Then, as the rain started to come down, Arkini Laloo skipped his way past several Mylliem players and the through ball came to Basuklang, who placed it well out of reach of Mylliem custodian Rihoklang Khongjoh.
A furious second half was made more difficult by the standing water on the pitch and the game was heading towards a draw when second half substitute Lovingstar pulled off another sublime strike to win the match for Mawlai, which took them back to the top of the SPL 2026 standings.
Earlier, Mawlai had a couple of strong opportunities but could not convert.
Damanbhalang Chyne took a free-kick that Wadshwa Latoo failed to get a proper touch on in the 17th minute and then, in the 25th, Wadshwa chipped the ball into the box but Fairming Suting headed it over. One other good chance in the first half saw Mawlai’s Robertson Khongriah’s shot skid off the horizontal.
Changing ends, Basuklang took a powerful shot in the 53rd minute but Rihoklang managed to get his fingertips to the ball and put it out for a corner. Exactly 10 minutes later, Mylliem’s Kevin Kurkalang did the hard work of wrestling the ball away from a defender and passed it through for Remark but his shot on the run went straight to Lambhamiki.
The rain by now had stopped but the ground was still sodden. Both teams had to resort to long balls rather than quick passes and it was Mawlai who made the best of the conditions right at the end with Lovingstar’s winner.
Tomorrow will be a massive clash and one that has become an eager sight for local football fans in recent months as Shillong Lajong face Nongkseh at 5:30PM.
These two met twice in the inaugural SSA Champions Cup late last year; they drew once in the first round and Nongkseh then won the final. They met twice also in the 5th Meghalaya State League earlier this year where, again, there was one draw and a Nongkseh win in the Super 8 league stage. Their most recent clash was in the Durand Cup where Lajong finally got the better of their new rivals. However, Lajong have different squads for national tournaments like the Durand Cup and local ones like the SPL, so Nongkseh will look to reassert their dominance tomorrow under the lights of the SSA Stadium.
(Shillong Sports Association photo. Mylliem in red-white, Mawlai in blue-black)