KATHMANDU,June 27: The final match of the Nepatop Players´ Cup Football Tournament saw a flurry of goals along with the heavy rainfall. Riding on four goals of Jumanu Rai, Nepal Police Club (NPC) thrashed Nabil Three Star Club (NTSC) 5-1 on Saturday to lift the trophy. [break]
In the match dominated by the police team, police skipper Jumanu Rai scored in the 25th, 45+2nd, 50th and 56th minutes and Parbat Pandey added another one in the 68th minute. Yugalkishor Rai scored the consolation for Three Star in the 90th minute through a penalty.
Police took the lead in the slippery ground washed by rain in the 25th minute. Rai headed the first goal of the match utilizing a ball that rebounded after hitting the bar. He added another in the injury time of the first half in a fast movement from inside the box.
In the second half, Rai completed his hat trick through penalty in the 50th minute after Three Star custodian Sanjeev Shrestha brought down police striker Chetan Ghimire inside the box in 1 vs 1 position. The fourth goal also came from Rai six minutes later. Rai made a quick attempt inside the box in a ball that slipped from the glovesman Sanjeev´s hand off Yogesh Shrestha´s powerful shot. Rai was awarded with man-of-the-match title. Parbat Pandey added the last for his team in the 68th minute from outside the box in the left flank of the post in his solo effort.
Yugal Kishor Rai of the Three Star did not make any mistake to convert penalty for the team for a consolation. They were awarded with the penalty after Suman Subedi of the police team committed handball in the box.
Chief guest of the final match Minister for Youth and Sports Ganesh Nepali and others presented the winners and the runners up and other teams with the trophies and certificates.
The tournament was organized jointly by the Nepal National and International Players´ Association and Nepal Sports Journalists´ Forum to raise funds for the treatment of former national volleyball player Dinesh Baniya who is in need of kidney transplantation. Around Rs 400,000 cash was collected from the tournament.
Earlier, before the final match began, the organizers collected Rs 36,535 from the viewers for Baniya. The Unity band and singer Nima Rumba sang a few songs before the match began and during the interval.
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