Defending champions Mon defeated Longleng 4-2 and Zunheboto came from behind to beat Kohima 2-1 after extra time in Friday’s opening quarter-finals of the Dr. T. Ao Trophy 2026.
Played at the Renpo Lu Sports Complex in Ungma, Mokokchung, the first two knockout ties of the 25th edition offered contrasting routes to the last four. Mon extended their run to four consecutive semi-final appearances in Nagaland’s premier inter-district football championship. For Zunheboto, the victory marks a major step forward after the district struggled to make deep runs in previous editions.
Mon overcome Longleng with four second-half goals
Mon entered the knockout stage in dominant form after finishing top of Group A with a perfect 12 points from four matches. However, Longleng held the title holders to a goalless first half.
Mon took control shortly after the restart with four goals in a clinical 20-minute spell. Eshong broke the deadlock in the 49th minute and doubled the lead in the 63rd minute. Tingshak made it 3-0 in the 67th minute before L. Nyamyei added a fourth goal just two minutes later in the 69th minute to put the contest out of reach.
Longleng pulled two goals back late in the game through Henpang in the 76th minute and B. Mantong in the 90+1st minute, but Mon had already done enough to secure their progress.
The result shows that Mon remain formidable in their title defence. Despite being without several important players from last year’s title-winning squad, they continue to demonstrate strong squad depth.
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Zunheboto fight back to eliminate Kohima
Zunheboto faced a demanding test in the second quarter-final against a Kohima side that had topped Group B with nine points from three wins.
Noulevituo gave Kohima the lead in the 33rd minute, sending the Group B winners into half-time with a 1-0 advantage. Zunheboto responded soon after the break when Mangholen equalised in the 51st minute.
Neither side could find a winning goal in the remainder of normal time. Hikupu then completed the turnaround for Zunheboto in extra time, scoring the decisive goal in the 92nd minute.
Eliminating an unbeaten group winner builds on a strong tournament so far for Zunheboto, who finished second in Group A behind Mon with nine points. Their group campaign featured a 7-0 win over Noklak and a 3-1 victory over Kiphire in their final group match, in which Hikupu was also on the scoresheet.
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The road to the Final
The semi-final line-up will be finalised on Saturday, 24 October 2026, when the remaining two quarter-finals are played in Ungma. All kick-off times are in local Indian Standard Time.
Wokha face Peren in the third quarter-final on Saturday at 4:00 PM. The winner will meet Mon in the first semi-final on Monday, 26 October 2026, at 5:00 PM.
Phek take on Tuensang in the fourth quarter-final on Saturday at 8:00 PM. The winner of that match will play Zunheboto in the second semi-final on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, at 5:00 PM.
The tournament will conclude with the final on Thursday, 29 October 2026.
Two different stories, one goal
Friday’s matches highlighted two different strengths required in knockout football. Mon relied on ruthless attacking efficiency to overwhelm their opponents, showing why they remain the benchmark in the competition. Zunheboto showed the resilience and composure needed to recover from a deficit and win a tight contest against top opposition.
While Wokha, Peren, Phek and Tuensang prepare to contest the remaining places in the last four, the first two semi-finalists have set the stage for the closing rounds of the Silver Jubilee edition.
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