Sports
Army see off APF, enter Jhapa Gold Cup semis
Defending champions Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) registered a convincing 3-0 victory over Nepal APF Club to enter the semi-finals of Jhapa Gold Cup football tournament at the Domalal Stadium in Birtamode on Tuesday.Arjun Rajbanshi
Defending champions Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) registered a convincing 3-0 victory over Nepal APF Club to enter the semi-finals of Jhapa Gold Cup football tournament at the Domalal Stadium in Birtamode on Tuesday.
Tanka Basnet, Santosh Tamang and Nawayug Shrestha were on targets for Army who broke the deadlock deep into first half. Basnet capitalised on a shot that rebounded off Tek Bahadur Budathoki initial shot from the woodwork to open the scoring in the 43rd minute. The Army club doubled their advantage in the 82nd minute through a curling 30-yard freekick from Santosh Tamang. Shrestha sealed the comprehensive victory a minute scoring another goal.
APF could have restored parity four minutes into second half through Prabin Syangtan, who ended up squandering a golden chance. In the 58th minute Army goalkeeper Bikesh Kuthu punched out Tamang’s scorcher to safety. Buddhiman Rai fired off target in the 84th for APF. Army player Tamang was declared man-of-the-match and got Rs 15,000.
Army coach Chun Bahadur Thapa was satisfied with outcome of the match. “We had our weakness but the most important thing is that we won it with relative ease,” said Thapa. APF coach Ratna Kaji Maharjan rued on the poor finishing of his team. “It was a tough ask for us once we conceded the first goal,” said Maharjan.
Nepal Police Club will take on Three Star Club on Wednesday. Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League champions Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) has withdrawn from the tournament. MMC informed of their unavailability due to their AFC Cup commitment two days after the tiesheet had been drawn.