ITAHARI, April 3: In a battle of two foreign football clubs at Duhabi Stadium in Itahari, Cameroon’s Dauphins Football Club overcame India’s Royal Club West Bengal 3-2 in a thrilling quarterfinal match of the 3rd Manmohan Duhabi Gold Cup football tournament on Tuesday.
Dauphins performed consistently well in both halves. Strikes from Yannick Owana in the fourth minute and Mesokou in the 36th minute helped the Cameroonians take the lead at the end of the first half against Bengal’s Benito strike in the 26th minute.
Likewise, Dauphins held onto its lead in the second half scoring its third goal in the 58th minute converted by Kono. Similarly, Siligudhi’s Kriss scored in the 63rd minute to reduce the margin of defeat as Dauphins secured the win to reach the semis.
Three Star into Duhabi Gold Cup semis
Mesokou was adjudged player of the match and received Rs 10,000. A regular participant in Nepal’s domestic leagues, Dauphins will face Mechi Netralaya Kakarbhitta Football Training Center of Jhapa in the semifinal match on Thursday. Kakarbhitta had won with a staggering 4-0 scoreline against A-Division League outfit and departmental team Nepal Police Club on Sunday.
Dauphins, which has reached its fifth semis in Nepal this season, has already won four football tournaments viz Budhasubba, Tilottama, Manakamna Cable Car and Mai Valley Gold Cups.
Ruslan Three Star club has already secured its semifinal position defeating Sunsari’s Eleven Arrows Club on penalties on Monday.
The winner and runner-up of the Duhabi Gold Cup football tournament will bag a purse of Rs 600,000 and Rs 300,000 respectively. The football event is organized by Manmohan Memorial Trust in partnership with home team Eleven Arrows Club.
