Sports
Three Star sail into semi-finals
Three Star Club got the better of Saraswoti Youth Club 2-0 to enter the semi-finals of the Makwanpur Gold Cup football tournament here on Tuesday.Pratap Bista
Three Star Club got the better of Saraswoti Youth Club 2-0 to enter the semi-finals of the Makwanpur Gold Cup football tournament here on Tuesday.
At the Forestry grounds, African recruits Mansa and Peter Segun scored for the Lalitpur-based outfits steering them into the last four. Three Star will now take on Cameroonian club Dauphins Family in the semi-final on Thursday. Hosts Makwanpur XI will meet Nepal Police Club in the first semi-final on Wednesday.
Mansa gave Three Star a 24th minute lead after he took full advantage of a communication gap between Saraswoti goalkeeper Pradeep Bhandari and a defender. Three Star completed dominated the game in the first half and despite Saraswoti making some goal scoring moves, they were unable to convert.
Segun double up the lead in the 60th minute to end any hopes of Saraswoti comeback. Segun was adjudged the man-of-the-match and collected Rs 10,000 for his feat.
Three Star had to replace their key striker Ajayi Martins in the first half due to injury as their search for more goal was not materialised. Saraswoti had a couple of chances in the second half but custodian Alan Neupane kept them at bay.
Three Star coach Meghraj KC said it was not a convincing victory for his side. “Our senior players are currently in the Nepali senior and junior national teams. Their absence are clearly felt whenever they are not with us.
I hope some senior players will join us soon and we will have a strong team,” said KC. “We tested few players who had previously spent their time in the bench but they did better than expected.”
Saraswoti coach Pradeep Nepal not getting two African recruits in the squad was a big setback for his side. “We made mistake in the first half when our goalkeeper and defender lacked communication. We wanted our team to get bolstered with the return of African recruits but that didn’t happen. We played better in the second half but by then the match had already slipped from our hands,” said Nepal.
Armed Police prevail in departmental duel
KAVRE: Nepal Armed Police Force Club prevailed in a departmental duel to beat Tribhuvan Army Club 2-0 to enter the semi-finals of the Kavre Gold Cup football tournament on Tuesday. Drawn directly in the quarter-finals, TAC were knocked out from their first match of the tournament after APF struck both the goals in the first half.
Mahesh Lama gave APF a 30th minute lead and Hari Karki doubled the lead three minutes later. TAC tried their best to fight back in the game taking control of the second half but luck deserted them. Santosh KC could have at least pulled a consolation goal for the Armymen but his free kicks sailed inches above the bar. APF custodian Raju Nagarkoti was adjudged the man-of-the-match.
In the semi-finals, APF will take on Kavre District Football Association on Thursday. Sankata CLub will meet Jawalakhel Youth Club in tournament’s first semi-final on Wednesday. Sankata had beaten Friends of Attariya and Kavre had pipped Friends Club in the quarter-finals. (SB)