Kathmandu, January 3:

Sankata Club beat Brigade Boys Club (BBC) 4-2 while Amar Pun’s solitary goal saw Mahabir Club defeat Friends’ Club 1-0 in their last game of the first leg in the Martyrs’ Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football Tournament today.

Nilendra Dewan, Krishna Malakar, Raj Kumar Ghising and Raj Kumar KC scored for Sankata while Obagbemiro Junior and Shekhar Limbu found the net for BBC.

The game was competitive and very much unlike what the scoreline suggests as BBC was in the game until its opponent added the fourth goal in the last minute. A perfect coordination of Ghising, KC and Dewan gave Sankata the lead fifteen minutes into the game but BBC’s goal machine so far Junior came up with a spectacular 20-yard free kick for the equaliser in the 28th minute.

In the 34th, Malakar put Sankata ahead following a cross from Ghising, who extended the lead to 3-1 in the 59th with a left-footed shot. Shekhar Limbu rekindled BBC hopes scoring from 25 yards in the 65th minute. It was only in the 89th minute that Sankata ensured victory. Raj Kumar KC headed home off Bikash Narayan Shrestha’s corner kick.

Sankata coach Sunil Tuladhar praised his boys. “My boys played better than was expected,” he said adding that he hoped to finish at either second or third position. “We are now comfortably placed with 23 points and can achieve our goals if we win at least eight matches in the second leg,” he added.

BBC coach Suman Yonzon was not satisfied with his players’ performance. “My boys failed to meet the expectations and the referee’s decision was also not fair today,” he blamed.

Earlier, Pun found the match winner for Mahabir in the 22nd minute against Friends’ Club, who had stopped Mahendra Police Club and Tribhuvan Army Club in previous rounds.

It was Pun’s clever work that made him score the decider from 25 yards leaving two defenders as onlookers. Pun lofted the ball over Friends’ goalie Rajeev Shrestha who had come forward. Mahabir coach Bishnu Poudel said that his team’s performance has improved a lot in the last few matches. “Our team lie at the bottom and the three points gave us a sigh of relief.”

Today’s matches

• RCT Vs BUC @ 12:30pm

• JYC Vs Bouddha @2:30pm