BIRATNAGAR, APRIL 15
Punjab Police Club defeated Sankata Club 1-0 and advanced to the final of the sixth Birat Gold Cup here at the Martyrs Stadium today.
Parmjit Singh scored the solitary goal of the match in the second half. The Indian team will now face Nepal APF Club in final on Saturday.
APF had made it to the final with a 3-2 extra time victory over hosts Biratnagar-XI on Wednesday.
After a goalless first half, Singh opened the scoring in the 75th minute of the match when he slotted home from the edge of the box following a pass from Harjinder Singh. Parmjit Singh was named the man of the match and he received Rs 10,000.
Earlier, the 19th Aaha-Rara Gold Cup winners Sankata came close to scoring in the seventh minute but Tirtha Basnet wasted all the hard works he did in guiding the ball alone from the centre of the pitch as he ended up with a wide shot from inside the penalty box.
Harshdeep Singh shot over the bar at the other end three minutes later.
Punjab goalkeeper Satbir Singh made an excellent save to deny Odeh Glory's header in the 15th minute following a pass from Ganesh Hamal, while Tirtha Basnet's powerful strike from 30 yards went wide.
Punjab's Rajbir Singh failed to beat Sankata goalkeeper Raja Babu Thapa in one-onone situation in the 30th minute.
Sankata, who were looking for second title in two weeks after they won the Aaha-Rara Gold Cup in Pokhara last week, dominated the second half and created a couple of opportunities but they failed to find the back of the nets.
Meanwhile, Punjab skipper Jagdeep Singh and Sankata's foreign recruit Saheed Smart received red cards after the final whistle.
Players from both the teams were engaged in a scuffle and referee Shyam Danwar showed red cards to the duo. The red card meant Punjab skipper Singh will miss the final match against APF on Saturday.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 16, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
