Man-of-the-match Victor opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the match and added two more in the 77th and 89th minutes to complete a hat-trick. Ibrahim Abcodun Aderomi fed an acute pass to Victor in the danger area and the latter directed it into the net for the first goal.[break]
Victor doubled the lead in a cross from substitute Shites Subba in the 77th minute. Twelve minutes later, he stole the ball from Akash Thapa and beat advancing goalkeeper Raman Rasaili for a treble.
HKNFA will take on a team from Bhutan on Tuesday in the quarterfinal of the tournament. The physically stronger players of HKNFA, which featured five African players, dominated the match and missed a few scoring chances. Ibrahim hit the woodwork in the 44th minute. U-16 goalkeeper Rasaili blocked Naren Limbu´s free-kick in the 76th minute and Victor´s header on the rebound sailed above the bar.
Four HKNFA officials and six players had arrived in Nepal and included players from different Nepali clubs in their squad for the tournament. "We prepared the team for the tournament at the eleventh hour but the experienced players produced good result for us," said coach Rajib Hirachan.
U-16 players received huge support from local fans but could not produce goals. Bimal Gharti Magar failed to score in a one-on-one situation in the eighth minute and Anjan Bista´s shot in the 27th minute hit the post. Kiran Sunar was also denied in a one-on-one situation in the 30th minute. Smart Baggio cleared Hemant Thapa´s free-kick in the 68th minute and HKNFA goalie Min Basnet parried a powerful shot from Thapa in the 71st minute.
"The U-16 team could not perform as expected. This performance was not even 50 percent of what I expect from the team. Since we trained for only three days after the Dashain break, it affected our performance," said U-16 team coach Bal Gopal Maharjan. Maharjan said the opposition was physically strong and more experienced.
Samsung Jawalakhel Youth Club takes on Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club on Saturday.
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