KATHMANDU, MAY 12

Skipper Anjan Bista scored the solitary goal as Lalitpur City Football Club defeated Butwal-Lumbini Football Club 1-0 in the playoffs eliminator match of the Khukri Nepal Super League here at the Dasharath Stadium today.

Lalitpur City, who made it to the playoffs only after registering two consecutive victories in the last two league matches, will now face Kathmandu RayZrs in the second qualifier on Thursday. Kathmandu faced a 2-1 extra time defeat at the hands of Dhangadhi FC in the first qualifier yesterday. The winners of the second qualifier will take on Dhangadhi in the final match on Saturday.

After a goalless first half, marquee player and skipper Bista found the back of the nets in the 61st minute with a diving header following a pass from Mikchen Tamang to help the side record the third straight victory under coach Raju Tamang after the club management fired head coach Pradeep Humagain for a run of poor performance.

Butwal-Lumbini came close to levelling the scores four minutes later but Ashish Lama failed to score in one-on-one situation with Lalitpur goalkeeper Arpan Karki, while Suman Lama missed a chance to score the equaliser in the 79th minute in rebound after Omolaja Nurain Kareem hit the post.

Earlier, Lalitpur - who had defeated Butwal-Lumbini by the same score in the league round match, should have opened the scoring in the 12th minute but Dona Thapa ended up with a high shot in rebound after Butwal-Lumbini goalkeeper Bishal Shrestha punched back Anjan Bista's attempt.

Fed by Dona Thapa, Lalitpur's foreign recruit Nurlan Novruzov Zahid was denied by Butwal-Lumbini custodian Shrestha in 40th minute.

Butwal-Lumbini missed a chance to take the lead in the 40th minute when Ashish Lama shot over the bar in rebound after Lalitpur goalkeeper Arpan Karki denied William Opoku Asieu in one-on-one situation. Karki was later adjudged the man of the match and he earned Rs 25,000, while his Lalitpur City teammate Mikchen Tamang was named the emerging player and got Rs 10,000.

A total of seven teams took part in the first-ever franchise-based football tournament organised by Nepal Sports and Event Management Pvt Ltd under the sponsorship of Khukri. The winners of the tournament will be richer by Rs 3.5 million, while the runners-up will get Rs 1.5 million. The best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, forward and emerging player will get Rs 100,000 each. A version of this article appears in the print on May 13, 2021, of The Himalayan Times