Shillong, July 30: Mawlai SC produced a scintillating second-half performance to dismantle Laitkor SC 5-0 in their opening Shillong Premier League 2026 fixture at the SSA Stadium on Thursday.
After a tightly contested first half ended goalless, the two-time champions shifted gears after the interval, scoring five unanswered goals to record the biggest victory of the season so far.
Samlang Rympei opened the floodgates in the 50th minute before Fairming Suting (52′), Wadshwa Latoo (55′), Basuklang Bina (71′) and substitute Bajiedlang Rangslang (87′) completed an emphatic win.
The opening 45 minutes had suggested another closely fought contest, with the league’s previous four matches producing three 1-0 results and one 1-1 draw. However, Mawlai emerged from the halftime break with renewed purpose and dominated proceedings through crisp passing, intelligent movement and relentless attacking play.
Their breakthrough came moments after the restart. Jestibor Mawlong forced Laitkor goalkeeper Deranius Wahlang into an early save before Damangbhalang Chyne struck the crossbar from close range. The rebound remained in play and Samlang reacted quickest to force the ball over the line.
Mawlai doubled their advantage just two minutes later when Fairming latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball and calmly slotted past Wahlang. The midfielder nearly turned provider soon after, but Jestibor fired over the bar from his inviting cross.
The third goal arrived in the 55th minute as Robertson Khongriah delivered a cross from the left that Wadshwa converted from close range, capping a devastating six-minute spell that effectively sealed the contest.
Although the tempo eased after the early burst, Mawlai continued to dictate play. Basuklang added a fourth in the 71st minute with a strike that took a slight deflection before finding its way into the net.
Substitute Bajiedlang then rounded off the scoring three minutes from full-time, sprinting forward from midfield before putting the ball past the Laitkor custodian to complete a five-star display.
Laitkor showed glimpses of promise in the second half and managed a couple of efforts on goal, but did not seriously test Mawlai goalkeeper Lambhamiki Lamare.
The Shillong Premier League resumes on August 4 when Sawmer SC take on Rangdajied United FC at 4pm. Sawmer will be looking to recover from their opening-day defeat to defending champions Langsning FC, while Rangdajied United will aim for their first win after beginning their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Meghalaya Police.
