Shillong, March 11: Smit SC and Eastern Pirates SC progressed to the semifinal round of the Assam Rifles Invitational Football Cup after beating Umsning SC and Mawlai SC respectively at Mawlai Madan Heh here on Saturday.
In the morning fixture Eastern Pirates scored a goal on either side of half time for a 2-0 victory in what was an engaging match against Mawlai, the latter which was playing at its home ground. Standout player Victor Shadap produced a brace, getting past the Mawlai defence in the 29th and 54th minutes.
In the other quarterfinal, defending champions Smit cruised to a 4-0 victory over Umsning on a blustery afternoon.
Although both teams took to the field with gusto, it was Smit that looked to have the edge in the opening minutes of the match, with several moves forward that threatened the Ri-Bhoi team’s defence.
Umsning, however, held their own, but conceded in the 25th minute via a penalty when a cross from Smit into the box clipped a defender’s hand, resulting in a penalty. Smit captain Kyrshan Lynshing stepped up and neatly placed the ball into the back of the net after the opposition goalkeeper guessed the wrong way.
The first half ended 1-0 and Umsning were still very much in contention, but they suffered a major disadvantage early in the second session when defender Pynshai Myrsing was sent off for an infraction.
Although Umsning’s Meban Shylla went just over the bar minutes later with a free-kick, the Ri-Bhoi unit was almost always on the back foot following the red card and Smit took advantage of their superior numbers to score two quick goals within five minutes courtesy Nickel Bina (56th minute) and Kitbor Kharkongor (61st).
Despite these setbacks Umsning still tried with all their heart to get back into the game, but the final nail in the coffin came just before full time when a chip shot dropped into play for Ambil Sun. Umsning appealed for offside, but the flag stayed down, allowing Sun to beat the keeper after going on one with him in the 86th minute.
The action now moves to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the semifinals, which will be held on Sunday.
The first last-four fixture will be a replay of last year’s final when Smit clash with Lawsohtun SC at 9:00am, while Assam Rifles Laitkor play Eastern Pirates at 1:00pm. Entry is free to both matches.
