SPORTS

Kathmandu Monday November 05, 2001 Kartik 20,  2058.

Nepal dazzles in Moti Ram's win

Post Report

BIRATNAGAR, Nov 4 – Sundar Nepal scored a brilliant hattrick as Moti Ram Sporting Club, Biratnagar, the last year’s finalist defeated Saptari-11 by 3-0 here Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of the third Samrat Running Cup football tournament.

In what turned out to be a one-sided match held at Pokhariya ground, Moti Ram Sporting Club took charge of the proceedings to move 2-0 up before half-time. Nepal, taking the ball into his stride in the middle, raced along the field to force it into the back of the net in the 15th minute for a 1-0 lead.

He came up with similar move as effectively twenty minutes later to double the score at 2-0.

Saptari, on the other hand were on all defensive while managing to push the ball twice into the opposition territory in the entire first session of play. They were fortunate in the session as Moti Ram Sporting Club spurned over half a dozen scoring chances.

Saptari showed some sign of vengeance in the first 10 minutes when the game resumed after the break. Rajesh Pandey, Devendra Khadka and Saroj Shrestha struck good combination to trouble Moti Ram defence in and around penalty area. But their efforts went begging owing to poor finishing as many as five times during that period.

Moti Ram’s Nepal went close to complete his hattrick in the 72nd minute but his lowly shot missed the target by a whisker. However, he amended that mistake six minutes later.

Starting from the middle of the pitch, he befouled four of the Saptari defenders one after another before unleashing a thunderous low right footer from the edge of the penalty box; he was accurate this time as he reached the magic figure that gave his team an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Saptari, bereaved by repeated raids, had a glorious chance to pull a goal two minutes from time but neither of their three forwards – Saroj Shrestha, Umesh Shrestha and Debendra Khadka could guide the ball home as it ricocheted after Saroj Shrestha's closely taken shot hit a defender.

Earlier, the host Samrat Sporting Club, Biratnagar had booked their place in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Chaudhary-11 on the tournament’s opening day Saturday.

Dipendra Paudel and Kem Limbu scored for the winners in the 11th and 78th minutes while Chaudhary-11’s managed to pull one back through Navkumar Majhi in the 58th minute. On Monday, Itahari Municipality, Sunsari meet Rani Youth Club, Biratnagar.