APF FC fought back from a goal deficit to stun Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) 3-1 as the departmental team registered their second ever Martyrs Memorial 'A' Division League win over the giants of Nepali football while Stephane Binong struck the lone goal for New Road Team (NRT) as they saw off Sankata Club 1-0 on Thursday.

Forward Aashish Lama hit back the equaliser for APF shortly after captain Anjan Bista put second placed MMC ahead in the first half. Substitute Mani Kumar Lama and captain Nabin Lama added late goals for the departmental teams as they made sure of avoiding relegation with two rounds of matches to play.

It was also APF's first victory over the eight-time champions MMC in 15 years. The departmental team's only victory over them came in the 2006-07 season when they pulled off a 2-1 win.

The outcome lifts the departmental side seven points above the relegation at the completion of the 11th rounds of play. They are eighth in the standings with 14 points after their third win. MMC remained unchanged in second place with 20, nine points behind champions Machhindra Club who were assured title two matches in hand.

NRT with fourth win climbed two spots up to replace Sankata in fifth position. NRT have 17 points and Sankata are sixth on 15 points.

"We could have been under huge pressure had the match finished in a draw. But the winning outcome has given us a big relief," APF coach Kumar Thapa said at the post match conference. "Many had predicted that APF would be relegated after the first three matches of the league," he added, referring to the first three games of the campaign when they were unable to collect a single point.

"But I and the entire coaching staff were confident of avoiding relegation. The league break was a memorable one for us as we were able to win Aaha-Rara in Pokhara for the first time in the club's history," said Thapa, adding that the title triumph gave positive vibes to the team.

At the Dasharath Stadium, captain Bista put MMC ahead in the 36th with his four league goals. The winger cleverly headed to convert a ball released by goalie Bishal Sunar after sensing APF's Japanese goalie Yuya Kuriyama was not at his proper position.

But the lead was short-lived as Aashish brought the score on level terms four minutes later, scoring his fifth goal of the league campaign. The forward capitalised on a defensive error by Narendra Chaudhary who failed to clear APF captain Nabin's pass at his range proving Aashish an easy scoring opportunity.

Substitute Mani Kumar, who came as a 61st minute replacement of Armand Beadoum, gave the departmental side 2-1 lead in the 82nd minute again set by captain Nabin. APF made sure they walked away with three points after captain Nabin sealed the victory with a third goal three minutes from time. The midfielder gave the finishing touch after he found a ball parried by MMC goalie Sunar in his bid to deny Aashish's strike from the edge of the area.

MMC's Nigerian coach Fuja Tope expressed dissatisfaction at the results and was critical of his dressing room. "MMC did not play like MMC and it was a disappointing outcome for us. But I was expecting a similar kind of result because there is something wrong in the team," said Tope who declined to say what went wrong. "If we want to win we have to improve otherwise such results will follow.”

At the ANFA Complex, Satdobato, NRT's Cameroonian forward Binong’s first half goal turned decisive as the neighbourhood club inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Sankata, the sixth for the club in the league. The forward controlled a long pass from Saroj Tamang and beat past two Sankata defenders before placing the ball at the back of the net.

The 12th round action of the league will begin on Saturday.