Lalitpur, November 7

Central Region and Nepal APF Club entered the final of the CoAS fourth International Women’s Football Tournament at the Army Physical Training and Sports Centre today.

Central defeated Tribhuvan Army Club 3-1 in tie-breaker, while defending champions APF beat Nepal Police Club 3-1 to advance to the final. The final is slated for Wednesday at the same venue.

The match between Central and TAC was decided in spot-kick battle after both the teams played a 2-2 draw in the regulation time of 90 minutes. Nisha Thakuri, Anju Lopsang and Manisha Raut scored for Central, while Monika Kusuwar missed her shot in tie-breaker.

Similarly, Krishna Khatri was the only scorer for TAC, while Deepa Rai and Sumitra Yonjan were denied and Anjali Waiba shot wide. Central’s goalkeeper Anjali Rana Magar was named the player-of-the-match.

Earlier, Sarmila Thapa Magar put TAC ahead in the 32nd minute before Central’s Sushmita Ghising levelled the tally in the 42nd minute. Central went ahead in the 63rd minute when Anju Lopsang found the back of the nets. As Central were heading towards the victory, Anjali Waiba of TAC levelled the score in the 90th minute. This is the first occasion that TAC lost against any regional team in all competitions.

In the second semi-final, Saru Limbu found the nets in the eighth minute for APF and Geeta Rana Magar doubled the advantage in the 48th minute. NPC’s Neeru Thapa cut the deficit from the spot in the 78th minute, while Sabitra Bhandari of APF made it 3-1 in the injury time of the match.