In what seemed like a one-sided game, Jawalakhel put in an impressive performance by keeping a clean sheet. Jawalakhel, who were aggressive from the start of the game, took advantage of the weaknesses of the Church Boys' defense and goalkeeper.
What you should know
The Aha-Rara Pokhara Gold Cup was not a happy one for Church Boys United, who had just played the Budhasubba Gold Cup final in Dharan on Saturday and then came to Pokhara. Church Boys were shocked by Jawalakhel Youth Club in the second quarterfinal held at Pokhara Stadium on Sunday amid fatigue and rain, losing 3-0.
With this win, Jawalakhel has become the second team to reach the semifinals of the ongoing 25th edition of the Aha-Rara Gold Cup. The Church Boys team, which arrived in Pokhara immediately after becoming the runner-up in Dharan, looked a little tired on the field. The match started 15 minutes later than the scheduled time due to lack of time for preparation. Church Boys could not maintain their natural rhythm in the light rain, which Jawalakhel took full advantage of.
In what seemed like a one-sided game, Jawalakhel performed impressively by keeping a clean sheet. Aggressive from the start of the match Jawalakhel took advantage of the weaknesses of the Church Boys' defense and goalkeeper. However, neither team could score in the first half.
Church Boys' experienced goalkeeper Deep Karki's mistake in the game proved to be a gift for Jawalakhel. When Deep dived and tried to control the ball, Dharmendra Kunwar made no mistake and scored a goal for Jawalakhel.
In the 88th minute of the game, Jamaican player Nicholas Hamilton showed individual skill and scored a goal by beating goalkeeper Deep. In the injury time of the second half, Sujan Gurung's shot from near the penalty area hit the net directly, securing Jawalakhel's 3-0 victory. Nicholas, a foreign player from Jawalakhel, who performed impressively on the field, was declared the Player of the Match. He received 10,000 rupees.
Jawalakhel coach Sunil Shrestha said that the team's collective performance and improvement in finishing led to a great result against Church Boys. Earlier, Jawalakhel defeated Machhindra in the pre-quarters. Jawalakhel will now play the winner between Planning Boys and Abha FC of Uzbekistan.
