The title race has become a two-horse race after Anil Gurung netted the decisive goal for MMC in its 1-0 win over Nepal Police Club at the ANFA ground, Satdobato, on Wednesday. The victory helped MMC remain in title hunt and fix the decider against Three Star.
The result of the penultimate match puts MMC on second position with 31 points, one point behind leader Three Star and one point ahead of third-placed Tribhuvan Army Club. The result means, the winner among MMC and Three Star will be crowned the champion of the National League.
Three Star, however, has the upper hand in the last fixture since a draw will be sufficient for the Patan-based team to be crowned the champion while it is a must-win match for MMC to achieved the same feat. Army could secure the second position if it beats Police in its last fixture on Friday irrespective of any outcome between Three Star and MMC.
"The win against Police was crucial for our title ambition. We are confident of coming up with better performance against Three Star and beating them," MMC coach Raju Kaji Shakya said at the post-match conference. He also pointed out that his side failed to play to its potential against the departmental team.
"Though the players failed to play to the best of their ability, we achieved victory (vital three points). However, such performance against Three Star is not going to help us win the title. But we are confident of a better show in the title decider."
On Wednesday, MMC created better chances than the departmental opponent and wasted frequent scoring chances. MMC's effort finally paid off five minutes into the second half after capitalizing on a defensive error of Suraj BK. African recruit Leonel Stephen Mbile stole the back pass from Suraj and dribbled the ball past Suman Subedi and set it for Anil, who made no mistake to convert it from close range. The goal turned out to be the sixth goal of the league campaign for skipper Anil.
Shiva Shrestha nearly doubled the advantage in the 68th minute but his volley in a pass from Dipak Rai hit the crossbar. Four minutes later, Sushil KC squandered another golden chance after he failed to beat Police goalie in a one-on-one position.
Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said that his side failed to implement their game plan practiced during training. He also opined that his side failed to cope with the attack and that the defense lineup lacked coordination. "We played better game after conceding the silly goal."
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