The stage is set. It is Mon versus Niuland in the finale of the 24th Dr T Ao Trophy Inter District Football Championship 2025. This ensures that there will be a new champion as both teams are chasing their maiden trophy. Mon defeated Mokokchung 3-0 while Niuland overcame Kohima 3-2 in the semifinals on Wednesday.
The finale, set for August 15 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, with kickoff at 4:00 pm, will also be a rematch of their Group A encounter earlier in the tournament when Mon narrowly defeated Niuland 2-1 in a fiery clash, a match widely described as one of the tournament’s defining encounters.
This marks only the second time Mon has reached the final, their previous appearance being in 2022 in Mokokchung when they lost 0-2 to Dimapur, with both second-half goals scored by Kivi Zhimomi and Kakhevi. Interestingly, Kakhevi now plays for Niuland and featured on the score sheet against Kohima in the second semifinal.
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Niuland, one of the districts formed in 2021, is making its third tournament appearance and is achieving its best performance to date. In their respective semifinal matches, both teams scored three goals each, although Kohima managed to pull back two goals against Niuland. Mon remains the only undefeated team in the tournament so far, and a victory in the final would secure their first-ever title.
“To be honest, they are the toughest contender in this tournament,” Niuland coach Nguvishe Zhimo admitted to MT when asked about their final opponents, Mon.
“Yes, we met them in the league round and dominated them in terms of possession, but in the end, we couldn’t block their unexpected brilliant shots,” he recalled. Tingshak and Laiwang Bohham of Mon scored two long-range goals in that match. “However, we are fully prepared to face them in the final. As of now, all I can say is let the best team win,” he added.
When MT asked Mon coach Tingyek Konyak for a word on the final against Niuland, he said, “Every team plays different football on different days,” adding that they will not assume anything based on their previous encounter with Niuland. “We will go all out,” he said, signaling that the final promises to be a memorable and thrilling encounter.
