Super sub Uttam Gurung netted twice for the home side after Santosh Shrestha had given the side an early lead. Mumtaz Akhtar scored for the visiting side through penalty.[break]
The host will now take on Sheikh Jamal Dhanmodi Club of Bangladesh in the second semifinal on Thursday.
Shrestha, originally belonging to APF, gave Pokhara an early lead in the third minute capitalizing on a mistake by Sikkim United goalie Basant Singh who dropped a pass from Karan Atwal.
Despite conceding an early goal, the Sikkim team put up a spirited show and hit back the equalizer one minute before the interval. Mumtaz Akhtar leveled the scoring through penalty after Kiran Gurung of the host brought down Hiralal Chhetri inside the box. Akhtar was later adjudged the man-of-the-match.
Gurung, a 69th minute replacement for Bivek Gurung, restored the home team´s lead three minutes after his entry in the match and sealed the victory with another goal in the 81st minute. Gurung scored his first goal utilizing a pass from Reban Gurung. Gurung then hit home a powerful strike from outside the box to put the game beyond Sikkim´s reach.
The home team was in command from the beginning and kept the visitors under immense pressure. In the 29th minute, Bivek Gurung´s strike was punched to safety by Sikkim United glovesman Singh, while Arjun Subba´s strike in the 53rd minute sailed inches above the bar.
Sikkim United also squandered some scoring chances. In the 35th minute, Thupten Bhutia´s 25-yard shot was brilliantly punched away by custodian Sumit Rajbhandari. In the 65th minute, Thoi Singh hit off the target.
Sikkim´s coach Histanly Rozario blamed the team´s long journey for the defeat. "Some of the players arrived in Pokhara on Tuesday only and we did not get sufficient time to train and prepare for the game as well.
Besides that, two Nigerian players cancelled the Pokhara trip at the last moment," Rozario said. He said that they were, however, happy to compete in the tournament.
Pokhara coach Krishna Thapa said that it was a 50-50 match. "Both the teams were of same level and there were some weaknesses in our defense. The boys played better in the second half," said Thapa, while expressing dissatisfaction over the penalty awarded to Sikkim.
Thapa said he expects the semifinal against Dhanmondi Club on Thursday to be a tough match. Kiran Gurung and Roshan Hirachan will not feature in the upcoming match after receiving yellow cards in two consecutive matches. The host team will also be without its captain Rajendra Tamang who has left for Hetauda to participate in the AFC B Certificate course.
On Wednesday, Nepal Army Club will take on Yeti Airlines Himalayan Sherpa Club in the first semifinal match of the tournament.
Sikkim manager misses match
Sikkim United´s manager Arjun Rai missed the match against the host as his flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara was delayed. Rai and Baichung Bhutia were scheduled to arrive together but the latter cancelled the trip following the death of a relative.
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