Tanka Basnet had put the Army ahead early in the seventh minute and they preserved the lead until Shrestha equalised from a spectacular freekick in the 63rd minute. Rai made it 2-1 for Rupandehi in the 78th minute before Shrestha scored his second six minutes into the injury time to seal the championship.

Rupandehi coach Prakash Malla said his strategy paid rich dividend in final as his players performed as directed. TAC coach Megh Raj KC said: “We lost despite playing better game.” KC, however, praised Rupandehi custodian (Dillip Chhetri) for denied his team many opportunities. He also partly blamed his side’s poor defence for the loss.

The match was marred by fan trouble. Some unruly fan hurled water bottles at the TAC dugout that resulted into 10 minutes of added-on time.

The champions Rupandehi walked away with Rs 3,75,000 top prize along with the trophy. Rupandehi also swept the individual awards. Deepak Rai was named best player and best scorer, which earned him a motorcycle and Rs 15,000. Sujal Shrestha walked away with best forward honour while Dilip Chhetri won the best goalkeeper award and Prakash Malla the best coach accolade. All individual awards carried a purse or Rs 15,000.

The top-tier Army team received Rs 2,50,000. The Armymen also took solace from two individual awards—the best defender (Hiran Magar) and best midfielder (Tanka Basnet).