Meghalaya: Rangdajied United set for quarterfinal clash with Shillong Lajong in state league

The Tournament Committee of the Meghalaya State League 2024 has confirmed the eight teams that have reached the quarterfinals of the fourth edition of the tournament. 

The marquee event of the Meghalaya Football Association, supported by the Meghalaya government, will revisit the intense rivalry between defending champions Rangdajied United and MSL 2019 winners Shillong Lajong in the third quarterfinal.

Lajong had beaten Rangdajied in the 2019 final to lift the trophy in Khliehriat but Rangdajied then got their own back by knocking out SLFC after an epic semifinal in 2023. 

There will also be a Jaintia Hills derby between Sutnga of East Jaintia and Ladthadlaboh of West Jaintia face off in the second quarterfinal. Not to be discounted will be the Chipakkore versus Rymbai Skhenshynriah first quarterfinal. 

Mawlai, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to exact revenge on Khliehmawlieh in the fourth quarterfinal. Khliehmawlieh had sensationally defeated Mawlai in Shillong in the MSL 2023 semis but then were pipped in the title match by Rangdajied. 

The dates and venues of these have yet to be confirmed by the Tournament Committee. 

The MFA had recently decided to pause the MSL after the group stage in order to allow for the state men's team to prepare in earnest for the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2024-25, which will begin later this month. 

The group stage of the MSL concluded yesterday and today it was confirmed that Sutnga were the winners of Group B in Mawkyrwat. This group was slightly complicated as three teams had finished on 6 points each, the other two being Khliehmawlieh and Mawten. Each side had defeated one of the other two and Sutnga were the best by goal difference. 

Khliehmawlieh progressed to the quarterfinals as one of the two best second-placed teams across the six groups. 

Rymbai Skhenshynriah was the best by having the most points (7), while Khliehmawlieh and Lumsohkhlur had the same number of points (6 each) and the same goal difference (+1) but Khliehmawlieh scored more goals (5 to 4).