Sherpa close in to safety after 3-2 win over Chyasal
Jawalakhel beat Friends Club 1-0 in the Lalitpur derby. Chyasal's Santosh Sahukhala (left) vies for the ball with Himalayan Sherpa's Diwash Urau during their Martyrs Memorial 'A' Division League match at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Saturday. Photo Courtesy: ANFA
Himalayan Sherpa Club took a step closer to avoiding relegation after a stunning 3-2 win over Chyasal Youth in their Martyrs Memorial 'A' Division League match at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato on Saturday.
Bijay Shrestha put Sherpa ahead in the 28th minute as he converted a rebound after Stephane Samir's initial effort was saved by Chyasal custodian Alan Neupane. Tridev Gurung doubled their lead five minutes later with a wonderful long-range volley.
Chyasal fought back swiftly to reduce the deficit to a goal through Hayato Wakino who scored on an assist served by Muhammad Asif in the 38th minute. But Sherpa reinstated their two-goal advantage as Shrestha found the net for the second time six minutes into the second half.
Both sides had their opportunities but it was Chyasal's Wakino who found the back of the net in the 89th minute. The Japanese midfielder's goal only served as a consolation for Chyasal as Sherpa put a dent on their aspirations of finishing inside top-six.
The win put Himalayan Sherpa 11th in the standings with 10 points after 11 matches, six points above bottom-placed Saraswoti Youth Club. Meanwhile, Chyasal are 10th in the table, two points ahead of Sherpa. The team finishing at the bottom in the 14-team competition will be relegated to 'B' Division.
In the second match of the day, a solitary goal from Fode Fofana in the 58th minute gave Jawalakhel Youth Friends a 1-0 win over Friends Club. After an uneventful first half, Fofana beat Friends’ goalkeeper Dev Limbu with a right-footed shot to secure all three points for Jawalakhel in the Lalitpur derby.
Friends had to play the remaining half an hour of the match with 10 men as their defender Saulo De Aquino was shown a straight red for hacking down Jawalakhel defender Adama Doumbia. But Jawalakhel failed to make their numerical advantage count as their was no addition of goals. Jawalakhel are now in fifth place in the table with 18 points, while Friends are ninth with 14.
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