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Kathmandu,Tuesday January 25, 2000 Magh 11th, 2056.
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Nepal Blue blank
Bangladesh Army 2-0
-By a Post Reporter
KATHMANDU, Jan 24- Nepal Blue today defeated
Bangladesh Army 2-0 in the Third ANFA Coca Cola Invitational Football tournament being
played in Dashrath Stadium here today.
After a lacklustre first half, in which both
the sides failed to find the rhythm and the target, Nepali side came up with a
better second half performance and the two subsequent goals to clinch the tie. The second
defeat for the Armies has meant that they are now out of the tournament.
Nepal did open the match on an ominous note,
with Sukra Tamang who had a fantastic day throughout, almost nodding home the first in the
5th minute of the match. Sukra was first denied by Bangladeshi keeper Bivash while his
second attempt off a rebound wasn’t good enough.
Five minutes later, Nirajan Rayamajhi was
unfortunate to see his volley hit the woodwork.
These were the only two real chances that
Nepal came close to scoring. But apart from these, the side looked lacking coordination in
the middle. Sukra had to repeatedly come back to aid his medios.
In the second half both the sides looked to
play better football and in the 50th minute the Bangladeshi goal was disallowed by the
referee for offside.
The Bangladeshi keeper Bivash was also
outstanding under the bar today and showed ample goal keeping skills and at times came up
with unbelievable saves especially in the second half.
Nepal looked better coordinated with the entry of
Chandra Gurung and Ritesh Khadka, and they were starting to make dangerous inroads into
the Bangladeshi Army camp. In the 63rd minute Bivash came up with two spectacular saves
and the keeper’s reflexes had every supporter first watching in disbelief and then
applauding his standard of play.
Nepal finally scored in the 71st minute through a
penalty kick. Referee had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick when Nirajan
Rayamajhi’s powerful shot was deflected from the hand off a Bangladehsi defender.
With Bangladeshi players looking upset by the decision, Deepak Lama shot home to give
Nepal the valuable lead. The shot was taken powerfully and the custodian had no chance, he
simply looked it go past him and slam into the right corner of the post.
The lead seemed to further pep up the home side and
they made a number of moves but the keeper and a tight Bangladeshi defence denied them
easy goals.
The spectators had to wait till the last minute of
the match to witness the play of the day. Sukra Tamang, Nirajan Rayamajhi and Ritesh
Khadka were involved in a breathtaking move that produced the second goal of the day. The
move catapulted from the right flank with Sukra passing onto Rayamaji, who sent a
calculated cross from the right and a waiting Ritesh converted with the perfect touch to
the delight of the partisan crowd.
Nepal Red plays Bhutan in tomorrow’s
encounter.
TODAY’S MATCH
Nepal Red VS Bhutan (2:30 pm)
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