KATHMANDU, Feb 28: Three Star Club has advanced into the final of the 17th Aaha Rara Gold Cup football tournament with a 4-2 win over departmental team Armed Police Force (APF) Club in Pokhara on Wednesday.
Amatch played at rain-hit muddy Pokhara Stadium, the players were struggling to keep their balance in the game, but somehow Three Star got its head above as a victor defeating the departmental team to claim a summit clash place.
With both the teams struggling to win the game in regulation time, and with the ground not favoring any team, the departmental team, who lost in the Manakamana Cable Car Pokhara Cup against Cameroon’s Dauphins Football Club, went down against an ambitious Three Star team.
The regulation time ended in a goalless draw, so the teams directly went into the penalty shootout with both the teams agreeing to the decision, as it was almost impossible to play in the muddy ground where players were failing to keep their feet balanced.
Three Star into Aaha Rara semis
After missing two penalties in the shootout, APF lost the game.
Three Star’s Ranjit Dhimal hit the first kick, and scored. APF’s Sudip Sikhrakar readied himself to hit the shot and equalize it, but the ball hit the cross bar giving Three Star a 1-0 shootout lead. Three Star had a chance to double the advantage, but Buddha Chemjong’s shot was saved by APF’s optional keeper Roman Rasaili, which kept his team alive in the tie.
Three Star’s Sunil Bal made the score 2-0, while APF’s Aashish Lama pulled one goal back.
Three Star’s Rupesh KC scored to make the score 3-1, while APF’s Santosh Katuwal scored the team’s second.
But, when APF’s Bikky Lama’s shot went out of the target, Three Star had its one foot in the final. Three Star’s Ananta Tamang made no mistake to score and send the team into the final.
The regular competitiveness, however, was not there as the rain had ruined the pitch. The players could not play their usual game and went on to play a goalless draw.
However, both the teams created one or two chances, but could not score. Three Star got a chance as Bal passed the ball to Ajayi Martins, but he could not take the shot after APF keeper had spilled the ball and an APF defender cleared the ball in the 28th minute.
KC hit a shot, but the ball was punched away to safety by APF goalkeeper in the second half. APF’s Lama tried a shot in the 60th minute, but it was saved by Three Star keeper Alan Neupane.
Martins missed another good chance as his shot hit APF defender Ramesh Dangal, and went out.
Three Star defender Ananta Tamang was named the man of the match and was rewarded with Rs 5,000.
In the second semifinal match Thursday, the other departmental team Tribhuvan Army Club will take on high-flying Cameroon’s Dauphins Football Club, which is targeting its fourth trophy in Nepal having already won the Manakamana Cup, Budha Subba Gold Cup, and Tilotamma Gold Cup recently.
