Sports
Shah slams hat-trick to send NPC to semi-finals
Striker Bharat Shah slammed a hat-trick to steer Nepal Police Club (NPC) to the Makwanpur Gold Cup football tournament semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Friends Club in Hetauda on Monday.Pratap Bista
Striker Bharat Shah slammed a hat-trick to steer Nepal Police Club (NPC) to the Makwanpur Gold Cup football tournament semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Friends Club in Hetauda on Monday.
Shah netted in the 12th, 42nd and 43rd minute to score the first hat-trick of the tournament. He was adjudged man-of-the-match and bagged Rs 10,000. The departmental ream will take on hosts Makwanpur XI for a place in the final. Although NPC dominated the game in the first half they failed to keep the momentum in the second half and came under intense pressure. Fode Fofana and Sancro wasted golden scoring opportunities after the break. NPC goalkeeper Satrudhan Chaudhary made some heroic saves in the second half to keep Friends attacks at bay.
NPC Ananta Raj Thapa was satisfied with his side’s performance. “After getting scores in the first half we tried to correct our mistakes in the latter half which put us under pressure,” Thapa said. Friends coach Chet Nath Shrestha said his team was not set properly since they were playing for the first time since ‘A’ Division League ended on January 8. “The absence of key players for the match due to injuries also did not help our cause,” he said.
Three Star Club will take on Saraswoti Club on Tuesday in the tournament that offers purse of Rs 800,000 to the winners and Rs 400,000 to the runners-up. The knockout tournament features to teams.
Sankata enter last four
Nagendra Adhikari (Kavre)
Sankata Club registered a comfortable 3-0 victory over Play for Attariya Sports Club (PASC) to enter the semi-final of the Kavre Gold Cup football tournament in Dhulikhel on Monday.
Foreign recruit Ekne Christin netted all three goals for the top-tier outfits who had defeated Bhaktapur District Football Association in their last match. Sankata will play against another top-tier team Jawalakhel Youth Club in the semi-finals. Christin broke the deadlock in the 40th minute and added his second in the 83rd before completing the hat-trick in the stoppage time. He was declared man-of-the-match. Attariya had a chance to pull a goal back but Bikash Adhikari wasted a chance shooting above bar from the penalty spot. Tribhuvan Army Club will meet Nepal APF Club in the second quarter-final match on Tuesday.