Kathmandu, January 1:

New Road Team (NRT) shocked Nabil Three Star Club (NTSC) in its run for the championship on Sunday it blanked the latter 2-0 in the Martyrs’ Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football Tournament here at Dasharath Stadium today. In the other match, Boys’ Union Club (BUC) came back from behind to beat Mahhindra Club 3-2.

With the win, NRT moved two spots up to seventh while Three Star hold its position second with 31 points. Manang Marsyangdi Club lead with 32, while Mahendra Police Club (MPC) lies third with 30 points.

In the NRT dominated game, Naresh Shrestha and Sunil Subedi scored one goal each. Defending champions Three Star was totally unlike the team that drew against one of the favourites Manang Mars-yangdi Club on Thursday.

Three Star coach Mrigendra Mishra said that his team played worse in every department. “We played hopeless right from the beginning,” Mishra said, adding that his players made a grave mistake taking the game too lightly.

Naresh Shrestha put NRT ahead in the 26th minute capitalising on Sunil Subedi’s cross, which Three Star goalie Upendra Man Singh failed to read. The cross took slight deflection off Singh and went to unmarked Shrestha who tapped in coolly.

Only once did Three Star threaten its opponent when Pradip Maharjan hit the bar in the 38th minute.

Sunil Subedi sealed NRT’s victory in the third of the four-minute injury time. Subedi’s lofted

attempt over the head of Three Star goalie Singh, who had come out of the box, rolled down to cross the goal line despite the latter handled the ball. Referee Gyani Raja Shrestha booked Singh for the foul.

“My boys played better than was expected in the game,” NRT coach Raju Shakya said. He

said that his strategy to play counter offensive game worked well.

Earlier in the first match, BUC’s new signing Nigerian Abiodum Gbengalawal scored two debut goals while Utsav KC scored another. Deepak Rai and Bikash Subba scored one each for

Machhindra.

Deepak Rai had provided Machhindra the lead early in the sixth minute but two goals in two minutes put BUC in driving seat. KC equalised through a spot kick in the 26th minute before the Nigerian Gbengalawal put BUC ahead one minute later. Machhindra was unlucky to have penalised for the unintentional handball by Bal Gopal Sahukhala.

A brilliant 25-yard strike by Bikash Subba brought Machhindra into the game just three minutes into the second half. Referee Kiran Giri, who replaced Shree Ram Ranjitkar in

the second half after Ranjitkar failed to continue with a muscle strain, spared Bimal Karki with just a yellow for his dangerous tackle against Rupesh Dhaubanjar in the 59th minute.

Gbengalawal found the decider in the 68th minute as his powerful shot from outside the box sailed into the top cross bar leaving Machhindra goalie Binod Dangol stranded.