LALITPUR, MAY 8

Rafiq Aminu scored a brace as Friends Club defeated FC Khumaltar 3-1 and moved out of the relegation zone, while Manang Marshyangdi Club and Nepal Police Club played a 2-2 draw in the 16th round matches of the Martyrs Memorial A Division League here today.

Aminu netted twice in the first half before Santosh Khatri added one after the break for Friends, while Pierre Jean Marie Messouke Etiegnie Oloumou scored the consolation goal for Khumaltar at the Chyasal Stadium. The match between MMC and NPC ended in a draw after Ahmad Hijazi scored the equaliser with his second goal of the match at the ANFA Complex grounds.

Aminu opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the match and he doubled Friends' tally with his second goal in the 16th minute. Oloumou brought Khumaltar back into the match with a goal in the 63rd minute but Sanotsh Khatri restored Friends' two-goal cushion 10 minutes later. Friends were reduced to 10 men in the 71st minute after Dona Thapa was expelled with two yellow cards but Khumaltar failed to capitalise on numeric advantage.

With their fifth victory in 16 matches, Friends moved four places up to ninth position ahead of Nepal APF Club after being tied on 19 points. Khumaltar remained at the 13th position and they are tied on 17 points with 11th-placed Sankata Club and 12th-placed New Road Team. MMC climbed two places up to seventh on 20 points, while NPC remained at the bottom of the 14-team table with 16 points.

At the ANFA Complex grounds, NPC opened the scoring in the 16th minute after Ahmad Hijazi found the back of the nets following a sublime low cross from Moses Gyabaah Twum. MMC hit back with two goals in the first half to go into the break with a 2-1 lead. Roshan Rana Magar scored the equaliser with a powerful shot that left NPC goalkeeper Shatrudhan Chaudhary stranded in the 33rd minute.

MMC took the lead with a spectacular goal from Sayidjamol Davlatjonov. In a smart move, Davlatjonov played onetwo with Roshan Rana Magar in a cleverly taken corner kick and he created a space to shoot over the head of NPC custodian Chaudhary in the 44th minute. MMC had earned the corner after Chaudhary punched out the ball to deny Davlatjonov from the edge of the box. Hijazi scored his second goal of the match to level the scores in the 71st minute when he shot past MMC goalkeeper Deep Karki following a pass from Paswan inside the box.

Earlier, NPC came close to scoring in the second minute of the match but MMC goalkeeper Deep Karki punched back Moses Gyabaah Twum's shot following a cross from Ravi Kumar Paswan. NPC should have scored in the 21st minute but Twum skied the ball from six-yard box on a cross from Hijazi.

MMC came close to extending the lead in the 52nd minute but Roshan Rana Magar struck against the post following a pass from Bhison Gurung. Bharat Shah shot inches wide off the post from the edge of the box in the 78th minute as NPC missed the chance to regain the lead, while NPC custodian Chaudhary rescued his side with a brilliant save to stop Bhison Gurung's right-footed shot from 30 yards out in the 82nd minute.

NPC coach Chetan Ghimire lamented his players for losing concentration and the match despite taking the lead. 'We dominated the show for around 30 minutes in the first half but the strikers failed to convert the chances created by the midfield,' he said. 'The forward line lacked concentration and coordination as we are struggling to set the team after bringing in foreign players,' said Ghimire. 'We should have scored at least three more goals in first half. MMC put pressure on us after we failed to convert the chances that came our way. The match was important for us as we are under pressure to avoid relegation but the players just could not hold the ball after taking the lead.'

MMC coach Bishnu Gurung was satisfied with the result and lauded his players for the spirited performance. 'I can see some positivism in the players and the credit goes to them for a point from the match,' said Gurung. 'We brought in an extra defender in the second half but we could not preserve the lead.'

A version of this article appears in the print on May 9, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.