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Kathmandu Friday September 21, 2001 Ashwin 05, 2058.
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Laboratory Blue lift ANFA Youth Cup
Post Report
LALITPUR, Sept 20 – Spurred on by Jagdish Karki’s brilliant
keeping, Laboratory Blue shut down Gyanodaya Red 5-3 on penalties here Thursday to clinch
the ANFA Cup Youth (U-14) title.
In the final played at the Jawalakhel Youth Club ground, Karki, displaying
perfect timing, dived to his left to save Suraj Kharbuja’s penalty making the score
2-1 in favour of Laboratory.
Kharbuja, in attempt to fox the Laboratory ‘keeper, tried to slot the
ball home with a ground shot. However, Karki, rising to the occasion, outwitted Kharbuja
with a full stretch dive on the left side.
Sandeep Rai, the Gyanodaya skipper, trying to make amends to Kharbuja’s
miss, tried to hit the ball too hard and was left a sorry spectator as it whizzed past the
sidebar.
Earlier, Gyanendra Ale and Yubik Shrestha scored for Gyanodaya converting
their respective spotkicks while for Laboratory, all the four boys: Bharat Kumar Khabash,
Sudip Roka, Bijay Khadki and Bikash Singh Chettri found the net.
The match had to be resolved through penalty shoot-out as the teams failed to
break the 1-1 standoff in the regulation time as well as the extra time.
Although Gyanodaya lost the match, they were the ones who ruled the game
during the entire match. Gyanodaya boys, much taller and strongly built as compared to
their opposition Laboratory, went into the lead early in the first session through Yubik
Shrestha.
Shrestha, capitalising on the opportunity right in the first minute of the
second half, slotted home to put Gyanodaya 1-0 up. The opportunity came his way as Jagdish
Karki, the Laboratory hero later, failed to take the ball cleanly as one of the Gyanendra
Ale’s chances went begging. Shrestha did not waste any time to round off the
‘keeper.
The Gyanodaya boys held on to their lead as most of their opponent’s
attempts were kept at bay by their defenders. However, 13 minutes into the second half,
Laboratory found the equaliser—albeit due to Gyanodaya blunder.
Ranjit Shrestha, Gyanodaya defender, trying to fend off Bijaya Khadki’s
cross from right, headed the ball into his own goal.
Gyanodaya, in order to get the lead back, launched a series of attacks but
without any avail. Their closest chance came just minutes after the equaliser, when Ale
shot one inches over the crossbar.
Meanwhile, Ganesh Thapa led All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)—the
organisers of the tournament, announced the selection of Nepali U-14 team for the Youth
Football Festival to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from October 27. The three-day open
selection starts tomorrow.
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