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Kathmandu,Saturday January 15, 2000 Magh 1st, 2056.
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Mahendra Gold Cup
final promises more
thrill
-By Shankar Kharel
BIRATNAGAR, Jan 14 - The
Mahendra Gold Cup football final promises a lot of excitement as RCT and Tribhuvan Club
take on each other here on Saturday.
In addition to the
unexpected results, the fact that both RCT and Tribhuvan Club are making their first ever
appearance in the Mahendra Gold Cup final which will make the final match more
unpredictable.
“It is too premature
to say anything at the moment,” say Navatara Kharel and Navaraj Kafle, regular
followers of the tournament. “It has only become more difficult after all those
stunning results.”
RCT reached the final ever
since they first participated in the tournament, putting off the challenges of Tarun
Sports Club of Darjeeling and Mahendra Police Club on their way while the journey of
Tribhuvan Club, who are taking part in the tournament after a break of 15 years was not
any less exciting. They proved everyone wrong by causing the major surprise of the
tournament, beating the odd on favourites Manang Marshyangdi on Thursday.
The teams, following their
performances so far in the tournament, are brimming with confidence. Both of them have
also enjoyed same crowd support.
Tribhuvan Club, after
their brilliant performances from Basanta Gurung, Prakash Thapamagar and Adarsh Malla in
the vital mid-field region, are looking for an encore in the final.
But the strikers poor
finishing and vulnerable defence, however, are their causes for concern. That only adds
more responsibility to goalkeeper Chhunnu Ram Chaudhary under the bars.
For RCT, who did not have
any major success after the Khukuri Club Cup Championship early last year, this might be
possible to abolish all previous failures. With Bal Gopal Maharjan looking more and more
sharp after every match and both strikers Naresh Joshi and Nirajan Rayamajhi finding the
net regularly, they certainly possess enough fire power to unsettle the opposition.
Deepak Paudel, Paras
Chaudhary and Madhu Karki shouldered the defence quite commendably, but again the team’s
tradition of relying too much on the individual brilliance might backfire. And above,
unlike Mahendra Police Club, Tribhuvan Club will not be fielding their second string side.
The tournament organisers,
however, assure exciting final. “This year’s final will be most interesting
ever. And we are expecting a large crowd on Saturday,” said the chairman of the
organising committee, Santosh Bania.
The tournament, one of the oldest ones in the
existence, organised by the Morang District Football Association under the sponsorship of
Gorkha Brewery Ltd drew a total of 12 teams, two of them from India.
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