Meghalaya Invitation Football Championship

Combine United win title in tie-breaker:

Shillong, Dec 3: Combine United (Delhi) bagged the title of 19th Meghalaya Invitation Football Championship by defeating local favourite Langsning SC in the final here on Monday.

Combine United won the match via tie-breaker 4-3.

Monday's final was a close contest throughout the two halves as both the teams tried their best to win the championship. Even there was not much difference between the teams in respect of ball possession.

The first half seemed competitively dull, as there were very few occasions when the ball was about to hit the nets.

However, in the 42th minute, Combine United's David Shittu nearly missed a header and the ball went inches over the goal post.

The second half started in a promising manner with both teams playing their best football.

In the eight minute of the second half, Combine United failed to convert a chance to score as Richard Mzebe's strong left footer taken from outside the box was brilliantly saved by Langsning goalkeeper Alan Patweth.

In 78th minute, Langsning's John Kitbok Kharkongor, top scorer of the tournament, got a chance to break the deadlock but he missed it by a whisker.

Seven minutes later, Mzebe ran over two Langsning defenders and lofted the ball over the goalkeeper's head only to see the ball sailing over the goal post.

Till the end of the stipulated 90 minutes the match was goalless which took the final into extra time.

In the first half of the extra time, both the teams could not create any chance to score. Langsning SC dominated the second half of extra time by keeping the Combine United defenders busy.

It was in the fifth minute that Langsning striker Roland Pyngrope's strong right footer taken from outside the box went inches outside the goal.

Again in the 11th minute, Langsning missed a chance to seal the match as a shot from Milton Kharsati went over the goal post.

With both the teams failing to score in the extra time, too the match was decided by a tie-breaker where Combine United had the last laugh.

Combine United netted four while Langsning could defeat the Combine goalkeeper only three times.

Though the tickets for Monday's match was sold out even before the match started, the Shillong Sports Association (SSA) decided to keep the entrance open in order to allow the football lovers, who failed to get ticket, watch the match.

It has been nearly 20 years that such a huge crowd turned out for a football match. Football veterans of the State compared the crowd of Monday's final with that of Meghalaya-Railways final in 1989.

Tourism Secretary DP Wahlang and Director of Sports and Youth Affairs Aldous Mawlong distributed the prizes to the winners.

Source: The Shillong Times