Sports
Chandragiri Gold Cup: Armed Police Force defeat Friends Club
Nepal Armed Police Force Club edged Friends Club 2-1 in extra time to enter the semi-finals of the second Chandragiri Gold Cup football tournament on Monday.Sports Bureau
Nepal Armed Police Force Club edged Friends Club 2-1 in extra time to enter the semi-finals of the second Chandragiri Gold Cup football tournament on Monday.
The match was pushed to 20 extra minutes after the regulation time ended on a 1-1 draw. Ashish Lama scored the winner for APF after Bikash Lama had cancelled out a 30th minute lead provided by Prabin Syangtan.
APF dominated the early exchanges but it was Friends who missed a couple of chances inside the first 15 minutes. Lama failed to give APF a 16th minute lead when he missed a chance to score in a one-on-one with Friends goalkeeper Dev Limbu. Two minutes later, APF custodian Roman Rasaili punched away a powerful shot from Friends’ African recruit Yaya Yannick.
Rasaili was at his best yet again in the 25th minute denying a powerful shot from Dhiraj Shrestha. Syangtan scored against the run of play converting a shot from outside the area in the 30th minute. The joy, however, short-lived for APF after Lama hit back the equaliser after defender Santosh Katuwal erred at the post.
APF upped their game in the second half but went on to miss three clear chances as the teams headed into extra time. Lama brought the winners in the first minute of injury time in the second 10 minutes.