New Road Team salvage draw with Machhindra; Khumaltar beat Army
Kathmandu, April 15
Jawalakhel Youth Club defeated Manang Marshyangdi Club 3-0 and moved to the top the Martyrs Memorial A Division League here at the Chyasal Stadium today.
At the Dasharath Stadium, New Road Team salvaged a 1-1 draw with two-time defending champions Machhindra Football Club, while FC Khumaltar beat Tribhuvan Army Football Club 3-2 in the ninth round matches.
Nkoto Synous Masoabi scored one each on either half and Fode Fofana added another goal for JYC. Masoabi opened the scoring in the fourth minute after he controlled the cross from Sunil Khadka and slammed home.
At a time when the match was heading toward the end, JYC scored two goals in the added-on time. Fofana doubled the tally with a header goal on a cross from Samiraj Thokar in the second minute of the injury time. Masoabi netted his second goal of the match four minutes later after he beat the offside trap and rounded up MMC goalkeeper Deep Karki to score in the open net.
With their fifth win in nine matches, JYC accumulated 17 points and climbed to the top of the 14-team standing, while MMC, who faced their second straight defeat, remained at the third position on 15 points. Royal Blue Satdobato Youth Club, who have played eight matches and were not in action today, dropped down to second on 16 points.
Two-time defending champions Machhindra were held to a 1-1 draw by NRT in the first match at the Dasharath Stadium. Against the run of the play, Machhindra took lead in the 39th minute when Omolaja Nurain Karim unleashed an unstoppable volley from the edge of the box. Karim met the ball after NRT defender Janmejay Dhami blocked Devendra Tamang's header on a corner from Prashant Awasthi.
NRT levelled the scores in the 67th minute when Stephen Junior found the back of the nets with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area on a pass from Nicolas Serge Song, who came as a substitute at the stroke of an hour. Machhindra moved up to sixth with 13 points following their fourth draw in matches, while NRT remained at 12th place on seven points. The match took an ugly turn in the dying moments when Machhindra players surrounded referees after Afeez Olawale Oladipo received two yellow cards in the space of two minutes for using foul language towards the officials. Security personnel had to intervene after Machhindra players and officials chased the referees on their way to the changing room.
Machhindra FC coach Kishor Kumar KC said the referees needed to keep their calm and control the match despite adding fuel with unwanted actions. "Afeez got yellow card for appealing for a corner kick, which is not acceptable," said KC. "And he was shown the red card for protesting the decision," he added. "The referees need to be fair."
Commenting on the match, KC said his team's plan of opting counter-attack strategy back fired. "NRT played exceptionally well creating a lot of opportunities in the first half. They failed to find the back of the nets and we managed to take the lead before the break. In the second half, our counter-attack strategy failed and we conceded the equaliser," he said.
NRT coach Raju Kaji Shakya rued the missed opportunities. "The luck was not our part today as we missed so many chances in the early stage of the match," he said. "We put up an improved performance today and also created ample scoring chances. But there are weaknesses in front line," he said.
Shakya also criticised the referees for poor decision. "We made an appeal then and there but I don't see any point shouting at the referees. The match officials should be up to the mark if we are to develop football in the country. They have been blowing whistle in minimum contact also. Their small error makes huge difference in the team and club has to suffer for no reason," he added.
In another match, Khumaltar outplayed TAFC 3-2. Pierre Jean Marie Messouke Etiegnie Oloumou scored a brace and Rejin Subba netted one for the newcomers, while Nawayug Shrestha and Sushant Chaudhary replied for Army.
Oloumou opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he found the back of the nets with a powerful strike from inside the box following a pass from Rajiv Lopchan, who was fed by Stephane Samir DB Binong. TAFC levelled the scores from the spot in the 18th minute. Abhishek Limbu handled the ball while trying to clear Nawayug Shrestha's flick inside the box and the striker converted the resulting penalty sending Khumaltar goalkeeper Dev Limbu to wrong direction.
Oloumou restored Khumaltar's lead in the 27th minute with an unstoppable free kick from 25 yards out, while Subba extended the lead when he won the ball on a pass from Binong and slammed home from inside the six-yard box. Chaudhary cut the deficit in the 90th minute after he met a ball spilled by Khumaltar goalkeeper Limbu on a cross from Dinesh Henjan and scored in an open net.
Khumaltar - who drew one and lost three in their last four matches including a 7-3 defeat at the hands of Machhindra in the previous round - recorded their second win to accumulate 10 points and they moved to 10th place, while TAFC - who have a run of three each wins, draws and losses - remained at seventh on 12 points.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 16, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
