Bhusal stunned Mohammedan goalie Manash Barua with a brilliant left-flank strike from the edge of the box to score at the near post. [break]It was Bhusal´s first goal for the team following his transfer from Friends Club. MMC got the freekick after Santosh Sahukhala was brought down by a Mohammedan defender.
"I was eager to take the freekick as soon as we got it," Bhusal said, adding, "I thought I could score it, and I´m happy to score the first goal for the team."
Now MMC will take on Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in the first semifinal on Sunday. In their first match, MMC had defeated Camellia United Sikkim 4-3 in tiebreaker following a 1-1 draw in added time after regulation time had ended goalless.
This is also the first semifinal entry in two tournaments for MMC after Bal Gopal Maharjan took over as the coach of the team some two months ago. In the other tournament--San Miguel Knockout Football Tournament--MMC had crashed out after a quarterfinal defeat to New Road Team.
"The boys played according to the plan and I´m proud that a Nepali team has made it to the semifinals," coach Maharjan said, rating Friday´s performance as better than that of the previous match.
MMC, which fielded Uganda striker Allan Oryek in the starting line-up, came up with short passes and ground ball, but lacked coordination on many occasions. They came under consistence pressure until the interval after scoring the first goal. Mohammedan dominated the ball possession but couldn´t make any post attack. But the second half of the match was more balanced and MMC made frequent attempts on the post.
In the 37th minute, goalie Barua of Mohammedan caught Oryek´s cross just ahead of the post before Santosh Sahukhala could reach it. In the 57th minute, Sahukhala again squandered a scoring chance when he sent a free header over the bar in a cross supplied by Nirajan Khadka. Four minutes later, Oryek´s free strike went above the bar. In the 67th minute, Bhusal missed scoring another goal when his freekick hit the crossbar.
The stubborn defending line-up consisting of skipper Tashi Tshering, Anjan KC, Bhusal and Kalu Tamang foiled many of Mohammedan´s attacks. Mohammedan had a couple of shots on target but the heroic display of custodian Bishal Shrestha prevented them from scoring. In the 62nd minute, Shrestha made a brilliant diving save in a one-on-one with Musiabu Olamrewaju, the Nigerian striker for Mohammedan. A minute later, he again denied the Kolkata outfit.
Mohammedan coach Fuja Tope lamented the below-par performance of his side. "The boys didn´t play up to their standard, and I´m left wondering what went wrong with our defending line-up," Tope said.
Three Star agree for rematch
Nabil Three Star Club have changed their earlier stance of quitting the 32nd All India Governor´s Gold Cup Football Tournament if they were not given semifinal entry, as they have agreed to replay the quarterfinal match against Bengal Mumbai FC on Saturday.
Three Star on Wednesday had defeated Bengal Mumbai FC 1-0. But the organizers Sikkim Football Association (SFA) decided to reconduct the match after Bengal Mumbai FC protested against Three Star for fielding Ezee Collins, an African player who was registered with All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Three Star on Thursday had said they would quit the tournament if they had to play the match again. On Friday, however, they agreed for the rematch following a meeting with SFA, players, officials and a telephone conversation with the management in Nepal.
Related story
MMC advances into last four
-1200x560-1773818828.webp)
-1773673205.webp)
