New Road Team boosted their survival hopes in the Martyrs Memorial A-Division League after hauling themselves back from two goals down to defeat Khumaltar Youth Club 3-2 in a dramatic evening at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Friday.

NRT were trailing 2-0, but Bikram Dhimal, Lalnunzama and Nicolas Serge Song scored after the break to turn the match on its head as NRT—the country’s oldest existing club—moved up to ninth position in the league standing.

Khumaltar took the lead in the 31st minute when Stephane Samir Binong ran behind the defence to receive a long pass from goalkeeper Limbu and dink past NRT goalkeeper Santosh Mahat.

Rajiv Lopchan doubled Khumaltar’s advantage eight minutes later, pouncing on an error from NRT’s Stephane Junior Nguimbous whose stray header travelled in the opposite direction to find Lopchan and the forward bulldozed the ball through the two defenders before coolly finding the net.

But NRT cast off the hangover of a poor first half display to turn the game around.

Bikram Dhimal gave NRT a lifeline midway into the second half with a header off a corner from Saroj Tamang.

Khumaltar goalie Limbu gifted NRT the equaliser two minutes later with a howler. Limbu could have made a routine save but his loose grip allowed a flicked shot from Lalnunzama to roll into the net.

Khumaltar punished Limbu for the blunder replacing him with Rajkumar Limbu, but the second-choice goalie could not stop Nicolas Serge Song from completing a sensational comeback in the 84th minute after Dipesh Ale Magar cut back for him.

A ninth defeat of the season puts newcomers Khumaltar at the bottom of the table with 17 points.

Earlier, Nepal Police Club rose out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory over Sankata Club at the Dasharath Stadium.

Moses Gyabaah Twum and Muhammed Ashiq Shoukathali scored either side of Nishan Khadka equaliser as five-time champions Police climbed to the 12th position with 19 points.

Police took the lead after eight minutes through a header from Twum.

Khadka squared the game in the 23rd minute when his incredible free kick from 20-yard out beat Police goalkeeper Shatrudhan Kumar Chaudhary.

But Ashiq gave Police a crucial win in the 78th minute, thanks to a slow-to-react Sankata defending that allowed Khadka to comfortably line up his own rebound before poking low across two defenders.

Sankata are in 11th position with 20 points.

Manang Marshyangdi Club threw away a one-goal lead to play a 1-1 draw against Himalayan Sherpa Club at the ANFA Complex.

Nirajan Dhami had given Manang the 14th minute lead but Abayomi Oluwaseun Fakunle equalised six minutes after the hour mark to rescue Sherpa a point.