Shillong, November 27: Pynshailang Lyngdkhoi scored four goals as Meghalaya Police overturned a deficit to beat Umlyngka in Group A of the SSA Champions Cup 2025 at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo, here today.
Later, Langsning blanked Mylliem Lum 2-0 for the former’s second consecutive victory in the tournament, also in Group A.
Anthony Kharkongor (45’+2) converted Umlyngka’s penalty to give his team the lead going into the half time break but the second half was MLP all the way, with Pynshailang (53’, 55’, 57’, 70’) scoring three goals in quick succession before adding a fourth later on.
In the evening kick-off, Richie Kharbani (36′) netted the first goal before Donlad Diengdoh (67′) doubled Langsning’s advantage in the face of stiff opposition from Mylliem Lum.
Umlyngka looked to defend and attack on the counter. That strategy worked fairly well until the start of the second half when MLP came out more determined to make use of their chances.
Pynshailang, the top scorer of the First Division, could not be contained in the Champions Cup either and raced to the top of the goal scoring charts.
The first goal came when a cross from the right into the box could not be dealt with by Umlyngka goalkeeper Babitlang Wahlang and the ball remained live in the box. Pynshailang took his chance and fired it in.
The second goal saw the policeman take advantage of a lack of communication between an Umlyngka defender who looked to leave the ball for Babitlang to clear. However, the goalie was caught off guard by this and Pynshai snuck in and scored with a single touch. His hat-trick goal came via a corner kick; his header did not quite come off but the ball fell fairly close to Pynshai’s feet and he was able to smash it in from close range.
The fourth goal also required a bit of luck as a defender slipped after receiving a pass and Pynshai was on hand to run with it into the box and fire in a sensational strike.
Earlier, MLP were clearly dominant but lacked accuracy in the final third. One of Umlyngka’s counterattacks finally worked out in stoppage time of the first half. Bajiedlang Rangslang fed a through ball for Samborwell Nongbsap and the Umlyngka forward was in the box when he was toppled by a defender, leading to a penalty, which captain Anthony converted.
Mylliem Lum’s Phibankhrawbok Nongkhlaw had the first shot of the second match but it went over the bar. Mylliem Lum, who drew their first match against Mawkasiang, held their own against the Shillong Premier League champions Langsning, who had beaten Umlyngka 2-0 on Monday. However, a rebounded ball fell into the path of Richie and he struck a low shot along the ground that went in off the upright for Langsning’s first goal
Early in the second half, Wadskhem Marbaniang struck the crossbar in what was Mylliem Lum’s best chance for a goal. His team mate Freelyson Tariang would also go just inches wide in the 78th minute.
Before that, Donlad scored after some intense action in the box. Langsning thought that the ball had crossed the goal line but the match officials disagreed. Donlad was not distracted by all this and struck the ball powerfully into the back of the net.
With two wins in two outings, Langsning have a full 6 points, while Meghalaya Police are on 3 with a game in hand. Mawkasiang and Mylliem Lum have 1 point each, while Umlyngka are yet to get off the mark.
Tomorrow, in Group B, Mawlynrei will play their first match of the tournament at 1pm against Shillong Lajong (who won their opener so convincingly against Mawkriah West on Tuesday). Following that will be Mawkriah West seeking to make a comeback when they face Laitkyrhong (who narrowly lost their Tuesday fixture to Nongkseh) at 4:30pm.
