Deepak Rai scored the lone goal for Sherpa in the 58th minute to set up a semifinal clash with Nepal Army Club. Following the result, the team from Kolkata, India will return home after its very first match in the tournament.[break]
Controlling a long pass from Rupesh KC, Rai sent the ball past advancing Samity custodian Pranav Roy.
Though Sherpa looked dominant during the early moments of the match, Samity gradually found its rhythm and the match looked fairly balanced during the later stage of the first half.
Samity goalie Roy denied Ritesh Malla´s header in the 13th minute, while Amir Shrestha´s strike from 40 yards for Sherpa during the half hour mark sailed above the bar. Similarly, scorer Rai´s free-kick in the 38th minute also went wide.
Samity created some beautiful opportunities but failed to utilize them. In the 23rd minute, Francis Xavier´s 30-yard strike was brilliantly saved by goalie Rupak Shrestha. Similarly, Jamir Ali Mondal´s header during the first half failed to find the target. Annichien Echezon´s strike 38 minutes into the second half also missed the target. Zico Zoremsanga of the visiting side was adjudged the man-of-the-match.
Samity´s coach Snehashish Chakraborty termed the result as bad luck. "The players worked hard and played well. But we were unfortunate not to get the result in our favor," Chakraborty said, adding, "We could not prepare for a long time and the ground was also different from ours."
Sherpa´s coach Tenzing Sherpa said the victory was the result of the team´s hard work. "Though the opponents were physically stronger than us, the result came out in our favor due to our hard work," coach Sherpa said, adding, "We also took advantage of the opponents´ weaknesses in holding the ball."
Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) will take on Lt Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club of Bangladesh in the third quarterfinal on Monday.
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