Hosts Sahara Football Club of Pokhara edged Sikkim United FC of India 4-2 in tie breake to enter the semi-finals of the 15th Aaha-Rara Gold Cup football tournament here on Saturday. 

The match was pushed to tie breaker after the normal 90 minutes time and 30-minute extra time ended on a goalless statlemate. On Sunday, defending champions Manang Marshyangdi Club will take on Dharan Football Club.

Susan Gurung, Shiva Subedi, Ramesh Magar and Uttam Gurung were on target from the spot for Sahara, while Sanjay Chhetri and Phurba Tshering Bhutiya struck for Sikkim. Sonam Topden shot off the target and Sahara keeper Shojit Gurung denied Ashish Chhetri to put his team through.

It was Sahara who dominated the starting periods of the game when their African recruit Ajayi Martins Kayode managed to steal the ball from Afzal Ansari in the seventh minute but Sikkim goalkeeper Pujan Pradhan denied him a one-versus-one situation. Martins missed out two more scoring chances in the 22nd and 26th minutes. 

Sikkim’s first real chance came in the 49th minute after Nadong Bhutia ran with the ball from centre line but Sahara goalie Shojit Gurung came out of the box avoid the danger. In the 66th minute, Ansari’s close-range header on a freekick from Sanjay Chhetri hit the woodworks. Both sides created few more chances but couldn’t convert at all occasions. 

Sahara coach Kiran Shrestha was a relieved man after winning an evenly-contested duel. “The game was really tough today. The opponents were physically strong. We failed to score in two certain opportunities in the first half and those misses made life difficult for us,” said Shrestha.