Shillong, Oct 3: Nongkseh kept their Shillong Premier League (SPL) 2026 title hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over Laitkor in a closely contested match at the SSA Stadium here on Saturday.
Hardy Cliff Nongbri (55′), Dawanchwa Challam (81′) and Shano Tariang (90’+5) were on target for Nongkseh, while Shelbilkstar Kharshilot (87′) scored Laitkor’s lone goal. The victory lifted Nongkseh to third place with 16 points, level with defending champions Langsning, although Nongkseh have a superior goal difference of +12 compared to Langsning’s +10. The two teams are scheduled to meet in the final match of the season on October 10.
Laitkor, meanwhile, remain ninth with six points from nine matches and are still in the relegation zone. Despite suffering their sixth defeat of the campaign, they made Nongkseh work hard for the three points and remained competitive for long periods.
Nongkseh finally broke the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half. Mebankhraw Wahlang rose highest to meet a corner, but his header was blocked. Hardy reacted quickly to the rebound and fired home to put Nongkseh ahead. The goal took the Nongkseh captain’s tally to six, making him the league’s leading scorer.
Nongkseh doubled their advantage in the 81st minute after a defensive mix-up by Laitkor. Two Laitkor players collided while attempting to deal with the ball, allowing Hardy to carry it forward before finding substitute Skilful Tariang. Skilful’s effort from the right was blocked, but Dawanchwa collected the rebound and calmly placed his shot beyond Laitkor goalkeeper Hukumskhem Marbaniang.
Laitkor pulled one back in the 87th minute through a set-piece. Shanborlang Nonglait’s free-kick bounced into the area in front of Nongkseh goalkeeper Daraphun Talang, with Shelbilkstar getting the final touch to reduce the deficit.
The goal gave Laitkor renewed hope, while another goal for the relegation-threatened side would have ended Nongkseh’s title challenge. Nongkseh, however, held firm defensively before sealing the result deep into stoppage time.
Shano received the ball on the left near the penalty area, briefly assessed his options and produced a curling effort that sailed over Hukumskhem and into the net in the fifth minute of added time.
Nongkseh will now face defending champions Langsning in their final league match on October 10, with the result potentially having a major bearing on the title race.
The next SPL fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, when eighth-placed Nangkiew Irat, on eight points, take on sixth-placed Meghalaya Police, who have 10 points, at 3pm. Nangkiew Irat remain in danger of relegation but are also competing for a place in the top six, which would secure qualification for the upcoming SSA Super Cup.
