KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 13

The two matches of the Qatar Airways Martyrs Memorial A Division League played today at the Dasharath Stadium failed to produce a single goal.

New Road Team and Himalayan Sherpa Club played a drab draw, while the match between Nepal APF Club and Sankata Club also ended in a goalless stalemate.

After the completion of the 10th round, Machhindra Football Club lead the table with 26 points and the defending champions are six points ahead of Manang Marshyangdi Club with three more matches to play. Tribhuvan Army FC are third on 18 points, while Three Star Club are fourth with 17. Likewise, fifth-placed Sankata and newcomers Satdobato Youth Club have 15 points each, while NRT are seventh on 14 points.

At the bottom half of the table, Himalayan Sherpa are at the eighth place with 12 points, followed by APF (11), Nepal Police Club (10) and Jawalakhel Youth Club (nine).

Friends Club, who are at the 12th place, are tied on six points with Brigade Boys Club, whereas Chyasal Youth Club are at the bottom with five points. The bottom two teams will be relegated to second division.

NRT coach Raju Kaji Shakya accepted a poor show from his team. 'We could not perform to the expectation, may be due to a long gap,' he said. 'The team did not look set due to injury and we even failed to make an attempt on goal,' added Shakya.

Himalayan Sherpa coach Yugal Kishor Rai was happy with a point. 'It's an important point for us as we are still not safe,' said Rai. 'The opponents were lost in the middle and they could not play their natural attacking game. That was an advantage for us and I am satisfied with my team's overall performance,' he added.

The second match of the day saw some scoring opportunities although APF and Sankata failed to break the deadlock. APF goalkeeper Yuya Kuriyama denied Fode Fofana in the 11th minute, while APF forward Armand Beadoum headed over the bar following a corner from his skipper Nabin Lama in the 34th minute.

Sankata came close to scoring in the stroke of an hour but Niraj Basnet could not meet Roman Limbu's free kick at a time when APF goalkeeper Kuriyama had come forward.

Kuriyama saved his team from going down in the 67th minute with a fine save to deny Uttam Rai's header on a cross from Oluwasogo G Odeh.

APF had a golden chance to open the scoring in the 74th minute after Awas Lamichhane snatched the ball from Sankata defender Niraj Basnet but he could not beat goalkeeper Raja Babu Thapa in one-on-one situation. Thapa then saved a free kick from APF skipper Nabin Lama in the 85th minute.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 14, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.