Outplay Brigade Boys to move to third; Army, Three Star share spoils
KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 26
Sankata Club defeated Brigade Boys Club 3-0 to climb up to third, while Tribhuvan Army FC and Three Star Club played a goalless draw in the Qatar Airways Martyrs Memorial A Division League here at the Dasharath Stadium today.
Uttam Rai scored a brace and Laxman Ruchal netted one as Sankata maintained their unbeaten run to six matches. With their third win to add to three draws, Sankata accumulated 12 points and are two points behind leaders Machhindra Club. Manang Marshyangdi Club are second on 13 points.
Following their fourth draw in six matches, another unbeaten side Tribhuvan Army FC dropped to fourth with 10 points, while Three Star, who also played their fourth stalemate, are at the seventh position with seven points, one point behind newcomers Satdobato Youth Club and Himalayan Sherpa Club.
In the day's first match, Sankata dominated the match against BBC and they netted all three goals in the first half. Uttam Rai put Sankata ahead with a header in the 13th minute following a pass from Jordan Junior after he met the ball which was half cleared by BBC defense on a corner from Jaya Gurung.
Rai doubled the tally with his second goal of the match in the 28th minute when the unmarked forward slammed home from close after BBC defender failed to clear Fode Fofana's cross.
Sankata midfielder Laxman Ruchal made it 3-0 in the 38th minute at a time when BBC goalkeeper Purna Limbu had come forward and defender Randip Poudel failed to clear the ball.
Sankata coach Bishnu Gurung lauded his players for the brilliant performance. "I would like to thank the boys for playing beautiful football," he said Gurung. "The players took some 10 minutes to settle down and it was their show throughout the match.
We could not score in the second half despite creating ample opportunities and we will have to work on that aspect for upcoming matches," added Gurung Coach Gurung was already dreaming of finishing in top three. "The way these players are performing, we can now dream of finishing in top three in the league," he added.
"We are moving on the right track and we have a realistic chance to achieve the target," added Gurung.
BBC coach Sanoj Shrestha said the team lost the momentum after conceding the first goal. "I think the first one was an offside goal and we conceded another due to the poor defending," he said.
"Again, they capitalised on our mistake to make it 3-0 and we were not able to make a comeback," added Shrestha.
In another match, TAFC and Three Star played an entertaining first half although they failed to find the back of the nets. TAFC created more opportunities than Three Star in the first half, while it was a 50-50 affair in the latter half.
Army coach Nabin Neupane rued the missed opportunities and said the team needed to be more serious on the field. "We have not been able to perform consistently.
It was a crucial match in our bid to stay alive in the race to AFC Cup Qualifiers and the league title as well," he said. "But we could not score to get important three points, just like in the match against Satdobato Youth Club," he said. "The title race is getting more difficult now.
We need to win our matches and will have to rely on the results of other teams," Neupane added.
Three Star coach Urjen Shrestha said the team lacked the striking force. "We have not been able to score in four matches and that's why we are lagging behind," said Urjen.
"We are looking for a couple of foreign players to strengthen our front line," he added. Satdobato Youth Club will take on Jawalakhel Youth Club in the last match of the sixth round on Monday.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 27, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
