Karna Limbu struck a solitary goal as hosts Jhapa XI edged visiting side Hong Kong Nepalese Academy 1-0 to enter the semi-finals of the fourth Jhapa Gold Cup football tournament here on Monday.

At the Domalal Rajbanshi Stadium, Nishant Limbu set Limbu for a header inside the area and the skipper made no mistake scoring the winner in the 41st minute. Jhapa could have won the match by even bigger a margin had they not missed out on capitalising on numerous chances that came their way.

Limbu was in hand to give the hosts an eighth minute lead but his header on a cross from Sanjog Rai went inches above the bar. Three minutes later, Limbu’s shot on a pass from Yogesh Gurung was denied by the defender. Rai himself had the opportunity put his team ahead in the 14th minute only to hit high above the bar from zone.

In the 24th minute, Limbu failed to score in a one-versus-one situation with the visiting team goalkeeper. A minute before Limbu gave his team the lead, Gurung and Rai erred in communication to score another goal. The Hong Kong team’s first notable chance came 11 minutes after the resumption when Mohammad Daumbiya hit agonisingly wide although with Jhapa custodian Dinesh Thapa Magar already beaten.

Thapa Magar denied Daumbiya in the 66th minute punching away his powerful shot. An errant Thapa Magar had left the post unguarded in the 77th minute but Uko failed to make the most of the opportunity hitting wide off the post. The goalkeeper however made amends in the closing stages making a full stretch dive to deny Dipesh Moktan’s powerful drive from the area.

Khadka was adjudged the man-of-the-match. Hong Kong coach Narendra Mani Limbu said his players were not able to acclimatise to the conditions. “We didn’t have much time to getting used to the local conditions after coming here. Jhapa is a good team and I am satisfied with how the boys fared against them,” said Limbu.

Jhapa coach Prabesh Katuwal was not satisfied by his team’s performance. “They (his players) made a lot of mistakes in the finishing line and lacked proper coordination,” said Katuwal. On Tuesday, Nepal Armed Police Force Club will take on Tribhuvan Army Club who had a first round bye in the tournament.