Thakuri nets brace as Satdobato outplay toothless Nepal APF at Dasharath Stadium
KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Gillespye Jung Karki scored the solitary goal as Tribhuvan Army Football Club stunned Church Boys United 1-0 here at the Dasharath Stadium today.
TAFC - who have not been able to live up to their expectations due to lack of players in key positions - recorded their first win in five matches. They had not tasted victory since beating United by the same score on April 25.
With their first win in second leg and sixth overall, TAFC moved up to sixth on 24 points from 17 matches, while United missed a chance to overtake Jawalakhel Youth Club at the top and remained second on 30 points. JYC are at the top on better head-to-head results. Gillespye Jung Karki found the back of the nets in the 43rd minute when he headed home on a free kick from Jitendra Karki to take his tally to six goals in the league.
Earlier, United goalkeeper Guillaume Yves Priso Njanga made a brilliant save to stop Dinesh Henjan's shot from outside the box in the 19th minute. Nawayug Shrestha headed into the hands of Njanga following a cross from Henjan in the 41st minute. United came close to scoring the equaliser in the 81st minute but TAFC custodian Bikesh Kuthu denied Ananta Tamang's header on a corner from substitute Ashish Chapagain.
United coach Bal Gopal Maharjan accepted the defeat and lamented his side for a be-low-par performance. "We deserved the loss today as the players did not perform to their potential. We did not play like a top team throughout the match," he added. "I won't say the players were overconfident in the match but they seemed tired, maybe due to tight schedule," Maharjan added.
TAFC coach Nabin Neupane was a relieved man after the victory. "These three points were really important for us as we had been under tremendous pressure. I hope the win will be a boost up for us to move up in the table," said Neupane. "The players put up hard efforts to thwart their attack in the match. Our formation of 3-5-2 is a challenging one but we need to carry the momentum if we are to fight for top position," he added.
Asked about Nawayug Shrestha's run of poor form in the league, Neupane said he was hopeful of the player. "I have used him in a duel role of a midfielder and striker. He is assigned to assist in midfield and also move forward when needed," he said. "He has scored five goals so far and I hope he can score in upcoming matches," added Neupane. "As an experienced player, he is also instrumental in guiding Gillespye."
In another match, Dipak Raj Singh Thakuri scored a brace as Royal Blue Satdobato Youth Club outplayed Nepal APF Football Club 3-0 at the Dasharath Stadium. William Opoku Asiedu added one for Satdobato.
Asiedu opened the scoring in the 13th minute when he volleyed past diving goalkeeper Anjal Shrestha following a cross from Thakuri. SYC doubled the tally in the 35th minute after Thakuri dodged as many as two defenders and shot from the edge of the box. The ball entered the goal after hitting the inside edge of the post.
Thakuri netted his second goal of the match to extend the lead in the 78th minute. Thakuri, who took his tally to 12 goals in the league, collected a pass from Sushil Lama and guided the ball past defenders with ease to score a spectacular goal. With their seventh victory in 17 matches, Satdobato moved up to fourth with 26 points, while APF remained at the seventh position with 22 points.
At the Chyasal Stadium, two-time defending champions Machhindra FC edged past Three Star Club 1-0. Yuta Suzuki scored the solitary goal of the match in the 10th minute. Machhindra climbed to third place with 27 points, while Himalayan Sherpa are 10th on 21 points, after being tied with eighth-placed Manang Marshyangdi Club and ninth-place New Road Team.
After the completion of 17 rounds, the three teams are just two points above relegation zone. Sankata Club are 11th on 20 points, followed by Nepal Police Club and Friends Club - who have 19 points each. FC Khumaltar are at the bottom with 17 points.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
