Boys Union, one of the oldest clubs of Nepal established in 2009 BS, needed to win Tuesday´s match to secure promotion to A Division. The club was relegated to B division two seasons ago. [break]
"We were under pressure today due to the must-win situation," said Boys Union coach Sagar Ghimire, describing the title victory as his biggest success as a coach. "Everyone gave their hundred percent today. We have defeated the opponent easily on previous occasions, but due to the must-win situation we were forced to play under pressure until the end today."
Subash Rai netted twin goals and Binod Lama added another for the team from Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. Rai opened the scoring for Boys Union in the 13th minute and Lama doubled the advantage seven minutes later. Raju Mandal cut the goal deficit for Swayambhu in the 21st minute, but Rai scored again in the 64th minute to make the score 3-1. Santosh Balami scored the second goal for Swayambhu in the 76th minute.
The win put Boys Union at the top of the table with 26 points, one more than second-placed Tusal. In course of clinching the league title, Boys Union remained unbeaten in all 12 matches played, winning seven and playing draws in five matches.
As the league champion Boys Union will be awarded Rs 400,000 while runner-up Tusal will get Rs 200,000. Third-placed Samajik and fourth-placed Birgunj will receive Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. Though both the teams have 22 points each, Samajik is ahead of Birgunj on the basis of head-to-head record.
Coach Ghimire played a vital role in the revival of Boys Union. Ghimire, who hails from the eastern city of Dharan, had included 23 players all from the eastern region in the squad. Ghimire, also a former player of Boys Union, has played for A division teams like Machhindra and Friends in the past.
The club was promoted to A division in 2023 BS, 14 years after its establishment, and emerged champion of the A division league in 2032 BS. The club also won the Tribhuvan Challenge Cup in 2032 BS, Mahendra Gold Cup in 2033 BS and the Birthday Cup in 2043 BS.
Boys Union General Secretary Shrawan Kumar Shrestha said the club will try to revive its previous image now rather than just try to secure the status of A division club. "Now we will set the target of winning A division rather than just maintaining a top tier status. Some of the corporate houses have assured us sponsorship," said a delighted Shrestha. "Now we are preparing to fix a budget of Rs 10 million for the next year so that we can revive our image."
In the other match of the day, Brigade Boys Club defeated Kathmandu Club 4-3 to leave already relegated Kathmandu without a win. Similarly, United Club overcame Mahabir Studies and Athletics Association 3-0 in another match held at the APF ground in Halchowk, Kathmandu.
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