Tanaka Basnet and Nawayug Shrestha both netted twice after the interval for departmental team which took an early lead through skipper Bharat Khawas at the artificial turf of ANFA Complex, Satdobato.Nawayug also took his scoring tally to the highest 13 goals, surpassing 12 goals of Karna Limbu of Jhapa.
The win lifted Army two spots on top of the table, replacing Three Star Club from the summit. Three Star is in the second position and Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) is third. Only one point separates the top three teams in the standings with Army enjoying the lead at 30 points, Three Star second at 29 points and MMC third at 28 points. However, the two title contenders - Three Star and MMC - hold a match advantage over the leader.
The result means Army could confirm at least second-place finish if it wins the last fixture against Nepal Police Club scheduled for Friday. Army could even win the title if Three Star and MMC lose one out of their remaining two fixtures. Three Star is scheduled to take on Armed Police Force on Tuesday and MMC meets Police on Wednesday during their penultimate rounds before the league concludes on Saturday with Three Star and MMC locking horns with each other.
Meanwhile, Lumbini finished its league campaign second from bottom with eight points in the tournament which does not have provision of relegation. Lumbini registered two wins - upsetting Jhapa and Police with equal goal margin of 1-0. Lumbini shared points with bottom-place finisher Morang FC in both legs with identical score of 1-1.
On Monday, Bharat opened scoring as early as in the fourth minute. Bharat netted with a low strike from close range after he collected Nawayug's pass from the right flank. Army created numerous chances before the break but failed to convert them.
Army's quest for the goal-rush was rewarded in the 63rd minute. Tanka netted the second goal for the departmental team when he unleashed a powerful strike into the post to guide home Deep Lama's cross.
Nawauyg made it 3-0 for Army in his lone effort in the 70th minute to equal Karna's mark of 12 goals. He sprinted the ball half the way, dribbled it past two opponents and comfortably sent the ball past the reach of goalie Dilip. Nawauyg scripted his name in the list of highest goal scorer three minutes later when he collected the ball released by Deep in counter attack and made no mistake to place it inside the net.
Tanka Basnet finally sealed the victory in the 83rd with his second individual goal and fifth of the match. He was again set by skipper Bharat Khawas who was later adjudged the-man-of-the-match.
Following the win, Army coach Meghraj KC was full of praise for the team. "The big win is the result of hard work. Army has been playing together as a team for 14 months. The team plan in implemented perfectly on and off the field," said KC, who also revealed that fitness level of the team was one of the major factors behind late goals in recent matches. "We can play with the same level of fitness throughout the match which most of our opponents cannot."
KC's counterpart Yam Gurung of Lumbini was dissatisfied with the way his side wrapped up the league campaign.
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