Kathmandu, April 9

Royal Blue Satdobato Youth Club came from behind thrice to salvage a 3-3 draw against Tribhuvan Army Football Club, while two-time defending champions and New Road Team registered victories in the Martyrs Memorial A Division League here today.

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Gillespye Jung Karki scored a brace and Deepak Gurung netted one for TAFC at the Dasharath Stadium, while Sardorbek Matmuratov and Dipenk Raj Singh replied for Satdobato, who were gifted with an own goal from TAFC defender Suraj Basnet.

TAFC opened the scoring with an early goal when Karki headed home on a cross from Jagajeet Shrestha in the fourth minute of the match. SYC levelled the scores in the 25th minute when Suraj Basnet put the ball into his own nets in an attempt from Dipak Raj Singh Thakuri. Karki restored TAFC's lead in the 38th minute with his second goal of the match.

SYC defender Pasang Lama shot directly to striker from the six-yard box in an attempt to clear the ball but it hit Karki's legs before entering the goal.

SYC scored the equaliser for the second time three minutes into the second half. TAFC goalkeeper Bikesh Kuthu spilled Neeraj Chaudhary's cross and Matmuratov had the simplest of the tasks of tapping in from close range. Gurung made it 3-2 in the 52nd minute after his cross from right flank bounced a couple of yards ahead of SYC goalkeeper Abhishek Baral and the ball travelled to the goal from above his head.

TAFC goalkeeper Kuthu made a brilliant diving save to stop Dipenk Raj Singh's powerful shot from the edge of the box but he was not able to savea shot from William Opoku Asiedu, who converted a free kick into a sensational goal from 30 yards out, in the 85th minute.

TAFC coach Nabin Neupane lamented the team for not being able to preserve the lead.

'We took lead thrice in the match but we were not able to preserve it. We have been playing well as per our planning but the best is yet to come. We have been hit hard by injuries and we are forced to do it with available players.'

SYC coach Sanoj Shrestha was satisfied with the point although he lamented the performance of his goalkeeper Abhishek Baral. 'We were on the verge of losing the match but we managed to score the equaliser and snatch a point from them,' said Shrestha. 'I am not pleased with the performance of our goalkeeper Baral as such mistake from an experienced player like him is not acceptable,' he added.

Earlier, Machhindra defeated Sankata 2-1 in an early kickoff at the Dasharath Stadium as newly-appointed coach Kishor Kumar KC made winning start. Bimal Gharti Magar put Machhindra ahead in the 19th minute with a brilliant goal but their joy short lived as Sankata levelled the scores a minute later when Manish Dangi found the back of the nets after being fed by Ayush Ghalan at the edge of the box.

Afeez Olawale restored Machhindra's lead moments after the break. Prashant Awasthi fed Olawale at the edge of the box after receiving a through pass from Gharti Magar and Sankata goalkeeper Tekendra Singh Thapa failed to stop the shot despite getting his hands on the ball. Olawale then hit the post twice before being substituted in the 77th minute. Olawale's diving header rebounded to play following a cross from Awasthi in the 55th minute and he came close again in 75th but he shot against the post in one-onone situation with Sankata goalkeeper Tekendra Singh Thapa.

The match took an emotional turn moments before the final whistle when Machhindra's Tshiring Gurung collapsed on the ground after colliding with teammate Pujan Uperkoti. Gurung, who received a knee-blow from his teammate Uperkoti on the face while trying to save a ball, regained consciousness in af-ter the medical team and Machhindra Physio Suraj Bhusal applied Cardio Pulmonary Resistance (CPR) for a minute on the ground.

After regaining consciousness, Tshiring was rushed to nearby Blue Cross hospital for further treatment. According to Physio Bhusal, the player was in normal condition and the doctors had advised him for CT scan of the head. He will be at the hospital for at least a day under observation.

Sankata coach Salyan Khadgai, who was the first person to reach out Tshiring, said the player was unconscious and he inserted his fingers into the mouth to help in respiration.

'His mouth was about to shut when I reached there and first thing I did was insert my fingers into his mouth to keep it open,' said Khadgi. 'I could not stop myself from going in and help the player. Humanity won over football in this case.'

At the ANFA Complex grounds, NRT came from a goal down to beat Himalayan Sherpa Club 2-1. Khamir Gilsan Kandangwa put Sherpa ahead in the 14th minute before NRT hit back with two goals in the second half for their first victory in the league.

Rohan Khadgi levelled the scores in the 66th minute and Jenish Prajapati scored the winning goal for NRT in the dying moments.

After the day's results, Satdobato remained at the third position with 13 points while TAFC moved up to seventh with nine points from seven matches. Machhindra accumulated nine points and they are at the eighth place, ahead of Sankata on head-to-head results. With their first win in seven matches, NRT accumulated six points to move up to 12th position, ahead of Himalayan Sherpa on head-to-head results.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.