In another match, Nepal Army Club eased past Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) 2-0 to progress one step ahead from sixth position. Bikarna Shrestha and Amrit Basnet scored one in each half to register their fourth victory of the tournament. [break]
With the draw police maintained their unbeaten run in the league and remained constant at the top of points table with 22 points with only one match remaining in the first leg. However, the police may plunge into the second position if New Road Team with 20 points win their match against Jawalakhel Youth Club on Saturday that has a match advantage over the former. Three Star remained unchanged from third place with 18 points playing equal 10 match to that of police.
Despite dominating the match from the beginning Three Star failed to take advantage of the absence of police key players -- Jumanu Rai and Parbat Pandey. Both of them were slapped with second yellow card of league in their previous match against MMC. It took a turn for the worse for the police team when their in-form winger Bhola Silwal was bound to leave the ground due to his leg injury.
Three Star also without their Tanzanian playmaker Castory D Mumbara took the match under control and made frequent moves and post attempts but were unable to hit their target. Unlike Three Star, police could not make a single post attack.
Three Star intensified their attacks from the beginning. In the eighth minute, Bijay Gurung failed to beat police goalie Ritesh Thapa in one-on-one position in box. Their constant attempt during other time of match also remained fruitless. In the 85th minute, police custodian Thapa brilliantly came ahead and dived to prevent a cross of Santosh Sahukhala before Joclyn Morgan meet the ball.
Police coach Birat Krishna Shrestha said that his side played under pressure. “The boys lost confidence and failed to control the ball,” Shrestha said.
Three Star assistant coach Upendra Man Singh said that the draw was a loss for team in their title race. “The team failed to utilize chances and were also unable to create many chances,” Singh said adding his side lost two points.
In another match, army striker Shrestha took an early lead in the seventh minute against MMC. Shrestha quickly sent the ball past net from close range in a pass set by second goal scorer Basnet -- included in the playing 11 for the first time in league. The ball rolled into the net after hitting the pole.
Basnet added another in the 59th minute from outside box in a free kick of Raju Tamang after MMC skipper failed to control the ball.
The army dominated the match and made frequent attractive moves against the MMC that made a flying start in the league by winning first four matches of league. However, they are unable to win in their last four outings. The army squandered some attractive chances of scoring.
Army coach Raju Kaji Shakya said that he was confident about wining the match.
We are out of title race: MMC
MMC president Tashi Ghale said they were out of the title race. Ghale had taken the place of their regular coach Chhiring Lopsang in Friday"s match after four of the club officials, including Lopsang, were suspended for the match.
Meanwhile, three Korean players other than Kim Nam Gyu of MMC are set to return home. The Korean players complained that they were home sick.
´We might send Korean players other than Gyu to their home as they have said that they were home sick,´ Ghale said adding, ´We have called Koreans to remain in the first division and now we could succeed in our aim.´
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