Sports
Three Star lift fourth title
Three Star Club beat archrivals Manang Marshyandi Club (MMC) 2-1 in the final to clinch Madan Bhandari Gold Cup football tournament title on Monday.Amrita Anmol
Three Star Club beat archrivals Manang Marshyandi Club (MMC) 2-1 in the final to clinch Madan Bhandari Gold Cup football tournament title on Monday.
The Lalitpur-based top-tier outfits struck twice in the second half to clinch the fourth title of the season. Nepali international defender Ananta Tamang struck in the 69th minute cancelled out MMC’s early second minute lead provided by Bimal Rana. Three Star’s foreign recruit Ajayi Martins hit the winner eight minute from time to stamp their authority over MMC after beating them in all four encounters this season.
The win earned Three Star Rs 1.5 million in prize money. Three Star had earlier won the Tilottama Gold Cup in Butwal, Itahari Gold Cup and Budha Subba Gold Cup in Dharan. Runners up collected Rs 750,000. Three Star coach Megh Raj KC head earlier warned of not showing up in the final after forcing them to play the final without a single day’s rest. But they changed their stance after the earnest apology from the organisers.
Rana gave MMC an early second minute lead capitalising on a pass from Sujal Shrestha. Three Star restored parity in the 69th through Tamang utilising a pass from Peter. Martins netted the winner in the goal-mouth melee in the 82nd. Defender Tamang was declared the-man-of-the-match.
MMC coach Chhiring Lobsang blamed the defeat to the heat factor as well as missed opportunities. His Three Star counterpart KC said was the better side despite playing with fatigue.
MMC’s Anjan Bista was declared the best player of the tournament and was awarded with Rs 50,000. He also took the highest scorer award for scoring four goals and won additional Rs 10,000. Three Star’s Peter was named the best defender, his captain Nirajan Khadka the best midfielder, teammate Martins the best forward and KC the best coach. Hosts Madan Bhandari’s Binayak Shrestha scooped the best goalkeeper award. All of them received Rs 10,000 each.