BBC give up survival hopes

Kathmandu, February 18:

Nabil Three Star Club and Sankata Kathmandu Mall Club registered emphatic win after the Martyrs Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football resumed at the Dasharath Stadium on Sunday.

Three Star blanked Friends Club 4-0 while Sankata beat bottom-placed Brigade Boys Club (BBC) 5-2. Obagbemiro Junior struck twice while Vijay Gurung and Nirajan Rayamajhi scored one goal each for Three Star. Anil Ojha scored twice while Pukar Gahatraj, Ravi Sinkeman and Pravin Karki scored for Sankata. Shekhar Limbu and Prabin Manandhar replied for BBC.

Three Star held on to the third position after the day’s result with 54 points while BBC are almost sure of relegation with 10 points from 24 matches. Mahendra Police Club lead the standing with 58 points, one more than Tribhuvan Army Club from 23 matches.

Junior headed home on a cross from Anjan KC to provide Three Star the lead in the 58th minute before adding his second on a penalty kick in the 66th minute. Three Star was awarded the spot kick after Krishna Lama brought down Vijay Gurung inside the box. Vijay Gurung made it 3-0 heading home on a cross from Lok Bandhu Gurung four minutes later. Rayamajhi put the issue beyond doubt in the 84th when he headed home on a cross from Santosh Gurung. Vijay won the Adidas man of the match award.

In the other match, Anil Ojha gave Sankata the lead in the second minute with a freekick that saw BBC goalie Padam Limbu stranded. A minute later Pukar Gahatraj doubled the tally on a cross from Ojha.

Shekhar Limbu replied through a freekick in the 11th minute but Ojha restored the lead scoring past four defeders in the 72nd minute. Ravi Sinkeman Sankata’s fourth goal through a header on Ishwor Shrestha’s cross in the 81st minue. Pravin Karki joined the party scoring fifth goal in the third minute of the injury time but seconds later Prabin Manandhar scored BBC’s second goal. Pravin Karki was adjudged man of the match.

“We didn’t have any pressure and so we fielded some new players,” said Sankata coach Maheswor Mulmi.

BBC coach Hari Om Shrestha accepted that his team would now surely be relegated. “We didn’t have any chance even if we had won the match,” he said. “We will complete the formality in the remaining two matches,” said Shrestha.

Today’s matches

• Army vs APF @ 12:30pm

• NRT vs Saraswoti @ 2:30pm