The game headed toward a penalty shoot-out after the 90-minute regulation time as well as the added 15 minutes ended in a goalless draw in Dharan. [break]
Dipendra Poudel of NPC missed the decider in the penalty shoot-out to end the quest of the team to lift the title for the fifth time. The four-time champions NPC also missed a chance to avenge their defeat at the hands of RCT in the final of the last edition after Poudel´s shot skied off the bar.
Earlier, Parbat Pandey, Yogesh Shrstha, Suman Subedi and Ramesh Katwal of NPC had scored from the spot. Meanwhile, Shiva Shrestha, skipper Tashi Tshiring, Sabindra Shrestha, Kalu Thapa and Ganesh Khadka had scored in the tie-breaker to lead the team into the final for the first time in six years.
MMC will face RCT in the final on Sunday. RCT had earlier secured their final berth beating Three Star Club 5-4 in a tie-breaker on Wednesday. This is the second time in four appearances that MMC have made it to the final. They had won the title only once in 2003 beating NPC in the final.
MMC kept NPC under pressure right form the beginning and made more than a dozen attempts to score but had to wait till the tie-breaker for the victory. NPC on the other had only half a dozen attacks.
MMC´c coach Devendra Jung Shahi expressed his satisfaction at the good show put up by the team´s young guns. "We didn´t have eight regular players but I am glad that the young players did it quite well," he said.
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