DHARAN, Feb 5: Kolkata-based football club PSR Durgapur Steel reached the semi finals of the 20th Budha Subba Gold Cup, defeating host team Dharan Football Club in a dramatic match on Sunday.
Durgapur made a stunning comeback from 2-0 down in the first-half against Dharan to equalize the score in the second-half and win the match in sudden death.
Roman Limbu and Bartman Rai scored for the local team in the second and 16th minute of the match. Dharan then missed more than a dozen one-versus-one chances in the second half.
The substitute players for Durgapur, Pravan Mitra and Shubham Thapa, changed the course of the match as the team scored two goals, making it 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes.
Host Dharan stuns Sankata to reach Budha Subba Gold Cup final
Shashikant Sur scored in the 67th minute whereas Shubham completed the comeback in the 80th minute for the team from Kolkata.
Dharan’s Nishan Limbu missed a penalty, and hence the chance to win the match for host team, in the extra time after being brought down in d-box by Durgapur’s Samrat Nandi. The match reached a stalemate at the end of the extra time.
The teams scored three goals each in the penalty shootout which then propelled the match into sudden death. Shubham Thapa scored the winning goal after Tirtha Basnet’s goal attempt was stopped by Durgapur goalie Bishal Khatrik.
Previously in the shootout, Bartman Rai, Yogesh Gurung, and Buddhiman Rai scored for Dharan Football Club, whereas Bishnu Sunar and Suraj VK missed their chances. Durgapur’s Sur, Mitra, and Segu cancelled out the goals scored by Dharan whilst Nandi and Bishwojit Mandal missed their chances, ending the penalties in 3-3 stalemate.
Durgapur’s Babu Lal Hasd was adjudged the man-of-the-match and received a cash prize of Rs 10,000.
Durgapur’s head coach Pintu Sarkar credited the victory to late substitutions leading to better rhythm in the match, despite the opposition being a strong team.
“The weather has been a challenge for us. We did not have proper warm-up too. We then corrected our team set and improved the match,” said Sarkar.
Dharan’s coach Subash KC rued missed chances and complacency for the defeat. “We could have scored 7-8 goals. We missed so many opportunities. Our players became complacent in the second-half, which resulted in defeat,” KC said after the match.
The 16th Aaha Rara Gold Cup winner and five times Budha Subba champions Nepal Police Club (NPC) will face KFGC Jhapa XI on Monday.
