An unmarked Chemjong hit the decider in the 59th minute in a counter-attack, beating an offside trap and dribbling around goalie Dinesh Thapa before sending the ball past the net. It was the third victory for Three Star in six matches.[break]
Jawalakhel was restricted to 10 men in the 85th minute after Bishal Rai (Jersey No 9) got the marching orders for his second bookable offense. Rai received his second yellow card two minutes after he was booked for a foul on Bishnu Gurung.
Earlier, in the opening match of the day, G5 Machhindra Club played a goalless draw with New Road Team (NRT) to put a brake on the latter´s winning run in its sixth match.
With the draw, NRT rose one spot to second with equal 16 points as that of leader Manang Marshyangdi Club, pushing behind Nepal Police Club to third position. Machhindra remained unchanged in the 14th position with three points.
Three Star progressed one place in the points table to seventh with 10 points, while Jawalakhel remained unchanged in fifth with 13 points.
NRT piled up consistent pressure on its neighborhood opponent, Machhindra, from the beginning, but failed to find the back of the net. Machhindra put up a defensive show and failed to make a single threatening attempt.
NRT´s African recruit Aaron Blackie Cole hit wide twice in either half, while in the 60th minute his shot that was heading toward the net was defended by Kushal Shrestha from the goalline after Machhindra goalie Bishal Magar had dropped it. Similarly, Rajan Adhikari was unlucky in the stoppage time when his shot deflected after hitting the pole.
Machhindra coach Tshering Lopsang said that the draw was vital for boosting the morale of his team. “To play a draw with the league leader is an achievement,” Lopsang added.
NRT coach Raju Shakya termed the day as "unlucky" for his side. “We were confident we could beat Machhindra. The boys squandered many scoring opportunities and the opponents also played well.”
In another match, Three Star that was without four regular players could make only two atttempts on goal and succeeded in one. In the sixth minute, Raju Rai´s strike from close range was denied by goalie Dinesh Thapa.
Jawalakhel dominated the match in terms of ball possession but failed to take advantage of it despite creating some moves before being reduced to 10 men. In the 33rd minute Three Star goalie Kiran Chemjong punched Karna Subba´s strike to safety, while in the 50th minute Subba hit above the bar from close range with only the goalie to beat. Nine minutes later, goalie Chemjong made a brilliant diving save on Mukonza Gerrard´s beautiful header in a corner of Bishal Rai (9).
Jawalakhel coach Kishor KC lamented the bad temper of his players. “I have not yet been able to teach discipline to my players and I will work on that,” said KC, whose players had confronted referee Sudish Pandey over some of his decisions. “I apologize for the players´ behavior. We could have scored the equalizer had we not been not been restricted to 10 men. We were under pressure after that,” KC stated.
KC´s counterpart Meghraj KC said the win was vital and his side must win every match to remain in the title race. “The victory was the result of the players´ high spirit,” KC said.
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