Kathmandu, February 10:

Yugal Kishor Rai scored four goals to help Nabil Three Star Club beat Sony Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) 4-2 and a brace from Basanta Gau-chan gave Carlsberg Manang Marsyangdi Club (MMC) a 2-0 win over Armed Police Force (APF) Team in the Mar-tyrs Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football here at the Dasharath Stadium today.

Tribhuvan Army Club lead the standing with 57 points from 23 games, two more than Mahendra Police Club who have played one game less. Three Star are third with 51 followed by MCC with 48. APF are fifth with 45 while RCT are 10th with 22 points.

Yugal gave Three Star the lead in the 38th minute which sparkled RCT officials into a heated argument with the referees. RCT players and officials sorrounded assistant referee Madhusudhan Khanal claiming Yugal was offside. The game resumed after six minutes and RCT replied immediately in the 44th minute through Som Lama’s 25-yard strike.

A blunder by RCT goalie Dilip Chhetry put Three Star again on the lead in the 61st minute. Chhetry let Yugal’s weak shot roll under his legs into the nets. Yugal completed his hat-trick three mintues later when he side-footed the ball past RCT goalkeeper Chhetry on skipper Surendra Tamang’s pass.

Yugals’ hat-trick was the 12th of this year’s league. Armyman Bikarna Shrestha has four hat-tricks on his name followed by three from MMC’s Anil Gurung. MPC’s Ramesh Budhathoki, Machhindra’s Buddha Chemjong, APF’s Jibesh Pandey and RCT’s Rishi Rai have also acheived the feat once each.

Adidas man of the match Yugal added his fourth on a pass from Tamang in the 73rd minute before unmarked Rajan Gauchan reduced the deficit to 4-2 heading home on a Rishi Rai’s left-flank cross in the 82nd minute.

In another game, Basanta Gauchan scored the first MMC goal from close range when Salau Nurudeen set him a perfect ball in the 35th minute. Man of the match Gauchan added his another scoring in an unguarded post when Nurudeen released the ball for him instead of attempting himself in a solitary encounter with APF goalkeeper Samit Rajbhandari in the 38th minute.

MMC coach Chhiring Lobsang Gurung said that the result widened the gap between the fourth and fifth position. “We have to accept in whatever position we finish this year,” Gurung, who hoped to finish fourth.

“The first goal was the turning point,” said APF coach Dhruba KC blaming his defence for conceding the goal. “Our fight for the fourth position ended after the loss,” KC conceded.

Today’s matches

• MPC vs NRT @ 12:30pm

• Sankata JYC @ 2:30pm