Shillong, July 29: Shillong Lajong FC registered a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nangkiew Irat in Match 4 of the Shillong Premier League (SPL) 2026 at the SSA Stadium on Wednesday, with Deibormame Tongper’s first-half strike proving decisive.
The contest was one of contrasting halves, as Lajong dominated the opening 45 minutes before surviving an intense second-half onslaught from Nangkiew Irat, who came agonisingly close to equalising on several occasions.
Nangkiew Irat threatened early when former Lajong player Maxderidoff Wahlang headed wide in the third minute. However, Lajong gradually took control of possession and created the better chances.
The breakthrough came in the 37th minute after Nangkiew Irat failed to clear a corner. Deibormame Tongper reacted quickest inside the box, stretching to poke the ball low past goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar to give Lajong a deserved lead.
After the restart, Nangkiew Irat looked like a transformed side following the introductions of Wallamsuk Nongkhlaw, Justerwell Tham and new signing Yhoto Lohe. The trio injected pace and urgency into the attack as they pinned Lajong back for much of the second half.
Wallamsuk came close twice within the opening minutes after the restart before heading another opportunity wide in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later, Yhoto Lohe unleashed a powerful effort that crashed against the crossbar before narrowly missing the target moments later.
Nangkiew Irat continued to pile on the pressure, with Justerwell Tham striking the woodwork in the 72nd minute after finding space for a fierce shot. The missed chances proved costly as Lajong managed to cling to their slender advantage.
Shillong Lajong goalkeeper Lakpa Lama endured a nervy outing despite keeping a clean sheet. He was nearly punished after losing possession inside the final 10 minutes and again failed to deal convincingly with a late corner in the 90th minute. Fortunately for Lajong, the loose ball deflected wide, allowing them to escape with all three points.
The result marks the third 1-0 scoreline of the SPL 2026 season, underlining the closely contested nature of this year’s competition.
The opening round of the league will conclude on Thursday when Mawlai FC take on Laitkor FC at the SSA Stadium at 4 pm. Mawlai, champions in 2022 and 2023 before finishing runners-up in 2024 and third in 2025, will be aiming to begin their campaign on a positive note, while Laitkor will look to improve on last season’s seventh-place finish.
