POKHARA, March 8: A 10-man Nepal Police Club has advanced into the semifinals of the ongoing Aaha Rara Gold Cup with a 4-2 tie-breaker win over the host Sahara Club in Pokhara on Saturday. 

In the first quarterfinal match played at the Pokhara Stadium, the game was pushed into extra time after the regulation time ended 1-1. The teams could not add more goals in the extra time, and the game was sent to penalties. 

Bharat Shah, Hem Tamang, Suman Subedi and Saujan Yokkoha Rai scored for the A-Division outfit, while Anup Limbu’s shot from the spot was saved by Sahara goalkeeper Arpan Karki. 

Sahara only scored two with Aashish Gurung and Ajay Shrestha netting for the losing team, while Ulrich Ramsay’s shot was saved by Police keeper Roshan Khadka and Tridev Gurung’s effort grazed over the bar. 

Police captain Bhola Silwal was sent off in the 120th minute after getting the second  yellow card. He was first shown the yellow card in the 92nd minute. That was the first red card of the former national player’s career. 

Police played attacking football throughout the match and took the lead in the 75th minute. Shah took control of a pass from the middle part of the pitch and hit a shot into the top corner to give Police the lead. 

On the contrary, Sahara played defensive football, but then switched back to attacking after conceding the goal. It scored the equalizer 15 seconds from time to take the game to extra time and then to the penalty shootout. 

Police had more than a dozen chances to score, but could not capitalize them. Nir Kumar Rai passed the ball to Bhola Silwal in the eighth minute, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Sahara keeper Karki. 

Silwal gave a pass to Rabi Paswan in the 16th minute, but his shot from just outside the box flew over the bar, while Rai missed a chance to score from the box as his shot hit the post in the 39th minute. 

Paswan had another chance in the 116th minute, but his shot went just over the bar. 
Despite playing defensive football in the first half of the regulation time, it then started playing attacking in the second period. The team also missed many chances to score. 

Captain Man Bahadur Tamang gave a long pass to Anish Pemu Limbu, but his seventh-minute shot went over the bar, while Tridev passed the ball to Kamal Thapa Magar, but his shot hit the post in the 19th minute. The rebound chance was saved by Police keeper Khadka from the goalline. 

Stephen Samir dribbled the ball from the halfway line and hit a shot from inside the box, but the shot was saved by keeper Khadka in the 101st minute. 

Police keeper Khadka was named the man of the match. 

Manang Marshyangdi Club will take on Jhapa XI in the second quarterfinal match on Sunday. 

 
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