Top-tier side Three Star Club ended a year-long exile from football with a 3-1 win over Jhapa 11 in the Khaptad Gold Cup football tournament on Monday.

Buddha Chemjong scored a brace and Ajiyi Martins added the another for the Lalitpur-based top-tier teams who had been boycotting all football activities since being deprived of their rights to participate in the AFC Cup playoff in January 2017. An utter negligence from All Nepal Football Association (Anfa) saw Three Star not being registered for the event in Malaysia despite a repeated correspondence from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Only after Anfa agreed to provide Three Star Rs 15 million on June 22 did the club ended the boycott with participation in this tournament.

All four goals came in a frantic nine-minute spell, starting with the 34th minute strike from Martins, who capitalised on an opportunity when Jhapa custodian Kishore Giri was out of his position. Chemjong doubled their tally five minutes later before Karna Limbu made it 2-1 for Jhapa. In what turned out to be a goal-rush, Chemjong struck his second goal two minutes after Limbu had reduced the margin.

Both teams went for goals but none managed to add to the first half tally as Three Star secured the convincing victory on their return to football pitch. The victory pits Three Star against one fo the title contenders Tribhuvan Army Club in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

The champions will receive Rs 11,11,111 while the runners-up will earn Rs 555,555. The best player of the tournament will ride  home a two wheeler. Druk Star of Bhutan will take on Rupandehi 11 on Tuesday.