Shillong, November 23: The wait for the new SSA Champions Cup 2025 will end on Monday with a double-header in Group A getting the exciting new tournament going at the SSA Stadium at First Ground, Polo.
The brainchild of the Shillong Sports Association, the tournament will bring together the winners of the association’s five men’s football divisions into one fast-paced and thrilling competition. The 10 eligible teams have been divided into two groups of five and will play each other once, with the top two from each group progressing to the semifinals.
The opening match will be between Mawkasiang (Fourth Division victors) and Mylliem Lum (Second Division champions) at 1pm. Then will follow the match between Shillong Premier League victors Langsning and Umlyngka (Third Division runners-up) at 4:30pm.
The placement of the last two teams was decided yesterday with the conclusion of the First Division. Nongkseh and Meghalaya Police had already booked their places in the Top 2 of this division but yesterday saw Nongkseh lift the trophy with a 1-0 win against the police.
Hardy Cliff Nongbri scored the only goal of the game in just the seventh minute of action. He intercepted a pass, which went to Shano Tariang, who back-heeled it back to Hardy. The captain had plenty of space and fired the ball on the run past MLP goalkeeper Nister Roy Suting.
MLP were very attacking but though they were able to score 26 goals against the other eight teams in the league they could not find a way past Nongkseh.
The police were thus consigned to their first defeat all season. They needed to win yesterday to claim the title, while Nongkseh only needed a draw. In the end, Nongkseh won the match to lift the trophy with a perfect record – nine wins in nine games.
At the prize distribution ceremony, Pynshailang Lyngkhoi of MLP was recognised as the tournament’s Top Scorer – he scored nine goals in all. MLP received a cheque of Rs 1 lakh as runners-up, while Nongskeh’s prize was Rs 2 lakh.
Both teams will be promoted to next year’s Shillong Premier League – a return for the police since they were relegated in 2018 and the first time in the local top flight for Nongkseh.
As winners, Nongkseh will be slotted in Group B of the Champions Cup and MLP in Group A.
