Simara, February 4

Birgunj United defeated Sahara Club of Pokhara 1-0 to enter the quarter-finals of the Ruslan eighth Simara Gold Cup here today.

Bikash Rai scored the solitary goal in the second minute of the match. His strike from inside the penalty area took a deflection to Sahara skipper Susan Gurung before entering the goal.

Birgunj almost doubled the tally in the 33rd minute but Rai ended up with a weak shot on a pass from his skipper Amar Dangol. Birgunj wasted three clear chances in the first half.

Sahara also created a couple of opportunities in the first half but they failed to convert any as the players lacked coordination among them. Sahara came as a different team in the second half. They dominated the possession and came close to scoring on many occasions but they failed to find the back of the nets. Rajin Subba of Burgunj was named the man-of-the-match and received Rs 5,000.

Birgunj coach Sulav Jung Rana was not satisfied with his team’s performance despite the win. “We played well in the first half but the players were lost in the second half,” Rana said. Assistant coach of Sahara Dipesh Yonjan said his team visibly lacked coordination. “There was no coordination among the players in the first half and we failed to score in the latter half despite putting up an improved performance,” said Yonjan.

On Sunday, defending champions Prime Polyclinic Bijay Youth Club will play against Saraswoti Youth Club.