Tribhuvan Army Club beat Far West XI 3-0 in penalty shootout to cruise into the semi-finals of the Kakadbhitta Gold Cup here on Sunday in a match where Nepal international Bharat Khawas gave a below-par performance.

Star forward Khawas, also the captain of departmental giant, not only squandered frequent scoring chances in the regulation time but also failed to convert from the spot. The outcome of the match was decided through penalties after the regulation time finished in 1-1 draw. Army will meet arch rivals Nepal Police Club in Tuesday’s semi-finals. 

Goalie Ananta Sheikh of Far West denied the first shot from the spot taken by Khawas while Nawayug Shrestha, Santosh Tamang and Dipak Gurung converted next three shots for the departmental giant.

None of the first three penalty takers found the target for Far West. Skipper Chetan Tharu hit off the target while Narendra Chaudhary smashed bar in the following shot. Rakesh Hamal ended up with similar fate hitting woodwork as Far West, who had stunned Jhapa XI in their opener, bowed out of the tournament. 

Earlier, Dinesh Henjan gave TAC an eighth minute lead scoring in a one-on-one encounter with Sheikh. In the 14th minute, Khawas’ header was denied by custodian Sheikh and four minutes later he ended up hitting off the target. Studded with nearly half a dozen of Nepali internationals, the departmental team failed to live up to their star billings. It was rather Far West who continued to exert pressure under Army after the resumption. 

“We failed to meet our own expectations and score,” Army coach Nabin Neupane said after the match.  He also defended performance of star forward Khawas. “Khawas could not play to his optimum level because he was assigned the role of forward instead of his natural left-wing.” 

Another Nepali international striker Nawayug Shrestha, who entered after the break, also failed to make much impact for TAC. Jeevan Chaudhary equalised for Far West 18 minutes into second half. Chetan Tharu, Narendra Chaudhary, Bishnu Gurung, Philip Tamang wasted scoring chances for Far West. 

Army’s Henjan was declared the man-of-the-match and got Rs 10,000. Hosts Kakadbhitta Football Training Centre will take on Himalayan Sherpa Club on Monday.