Kathmandu Rayzrs’s defence of the Nepal Super League title ended in tragedy after a brace from Imoh Ezekiel helped Lalitpur City humiliate them 3-0 at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Papa Ibou Kebe was also on target as Ian Andrew Gillan’s Lalitpur reached the Qualifier 2 for the second season in a row.

Lalitpur showed their killer instinct from the start, applying constant pressure on the Kathmandu defence that appeared cautious in the beginning.

But Kathmandu’s backline gradually unravelled under the intensity as the game progressed and Lalitpur made the most of it.

Dinesh Henjan had the first chance at goal in the 11th minute when Imoh Ezekiel dispossessed Kingue Oliver and cut infield and back for unmarked Dinesh Henjan, who had to rely on a flick on but the ball went wide.

Lalitpur kept on mocking Kathmandu looking for more defensive decline and it arrived in the 36th minute. Anjan Rai’s attempt to clear a cross from Sanish Shrestha deflected off his own teammate Rajib Lopchan before falling at the feet of Kebe. The French forward attempted a semi-volley that stung the palms of Kathmandu goalkeeper Anjal Shrestha before finding Ezekiel unmarked in front of the goal and the Nigerian calmly put the ball into the net to give Lalitpur the lead.

Lalitpur terrorised Kathmandu again in the 43rd minute, with Aditya Shakya forcing netkeeper Anjal into hard work to keep out a lofted shot.

But Anjal suffered a misfortune in the resulting corner as he lost his balance allowing Ananta Tamang’s high header straight into the target. Kuldip Karki tried his best to prevent the ball from entering but his attempt to clear the ball from the goalline reverbated off his own post and Kebe reacted with lightning speed to smash the back of the net from close range.

Kathmandu were missing suspended Tojidinov Komijon and his absence was clearly felt as their engine room lacked a clear strategy and never really troubled Lalitpur goalkeeper Jeffery Willy Marcel, aside from Dipesh Gurung’s long-ranged effort in the injury time.

Toothless Kathmandu’s under-par performance continued after the restart and Ezekiel put the result beyond doubt in the 52nd minute, thanks to another defensive lapse from Kathmandu. Ezekiel managed to slip past napping Kathmandu defenders and headed in a perfectly-measured freekick from Nikhil Sureshrao Kadam.

“I am very happy I got on the scoresheet. But the most important thing today is the win,” said player of the match Ezekiel.

Kathmandu’s misery was further worsened when their captain was shown a second yellow and sent off for a bad challenge on Kebe in the 75th minute.

Lalitpur were so comfortable that the total control of the game even gave them the privilege to rest their Indian midfielder Kadam and goalkeeper Marcel for the next battle.

Goalkeeper Bishal Sunar replaced Marcel and had an opportunity to showcase his talent as he brilliantly defied Ganesh Hamal in the seventh minute of the stoppage time.

The win also gave Lalitpur a sweet revenge for their 1-0 loss in the group stage and—most importantly—last season’s 3-0 Qualifier 2 defeat by the eventual champions Kathmandu.

Up next for Lalitpur is a Qualifier 2 clash against Pokhara Thunders who lost to Dhangadhi 4-3 on penalties. Pokhara will be hurt and wounded and Lalitpur captain Tamang knows it.

“We won today but we want to stay focused because we have to play Qualifier 2 against Pokhara. The win has certainly boosted our confidence,” said Tamang.

“We played as a team and won as a team. Now we have to play better against Pokhara if we are to make the finals.”

The Qualifier 2 is scheduled for Thursday. The winners of the Qualifier 2 will lock horns against Dhangadhi in the mouth-watering title match on Saturday.