Tribhuvan Army Club has won the National League Football on Monday, which has opened the title race for the tournament. After this win, Army has also staked its claim on the title. For this, Army defeated Machhindra FC, who is at the top of the league table, 2-1 in the match held at Dashrath Stadium. If the departmental team Army had not won this match, it would have almost been eliminated from the title race. 

Army now has 23 points from 11 matches. Despite the defeat, Machhindra is still in first place in goal difference with 25 points. APF Club is behind it with 25 points. After the match, Army coach Balgopal Maharjan said, 'We had to win this match anyway, so we played with the same strategy. We are happy for this win, because we have managed to get back into the title race.  The match itself was a draw, Machhindra was not inferior.'

The match itself started half an hour late due to rain and wind. The first half was stopped for about 10 minutes after the floodlights malfunctioned. The field was not in its natural state due to rain. Therefore, it was difficult for the players of both teams. But there was no shortage of excitement in the game. ‘We were defeated and both goals were our weakness,’ said Machhindra coach Pravesh Katuwal. He added, ‘After this result, the title race is open. If we had won today, we would have had a lot of advantage. Now we will have to pay attention to the results of other games as well. It was even more difficult for our players on the rain-affected field.’ 

Machhindra still has to play against APF in the competition. Perhaps the result of this could prove decisive in the title race. Army, on the other hand, took the lead in the 40th minute through Nawayug Shrestha’s goal, but it did not last long. 

Jonathan Eduardo equalized in the 43rd minute. As soon as the second half started, Gillespiejung Karki scored the second goal for Army in the 46th minute and this ultimately proved decisive. Army had fielded veteran Bharat Khawas for this match. Coach Maharjan claimed that with his arrival, enthusiasm and coordination have returned to the team. Bharat has also been included in the starting team announced for the match against Hong Kong. 

Laligurans' victory

Laligurans stopped the comeback of Planning Boys in the second match of the day at Dasharath Stadium and won 3-2. This result has prepared Laligurans for the opportunity to compete for the title, while Planning's title chances are almost over. After Raj Bhusal scored in the 20th minute and Ekote Junior in the 24th minute, Laligurans were ahead 2-0. 

In this way, Laligurans' victory seemed certain. But Planning did not give up and Roman Bhujel scored one goal each for the team in the 57th minute and Sahil KC in the 73rd minute. In this way, what seemed certain was that this match would end in a draw. But in the 83rd minute, Ashish Gurung scored the decisive goal to secure Laligurans' victory.

After this win, Laligurans has 24 points and has climbed to third place. The Pokharel team, which has not been defeated so far, has made itself a candidate for the title after 4 consecutive draws. 'We played this game to win, now our aim will be to play aggressively for the title,' said Laligurans coach Kiran Shrestha. 'We needed a win after consecutive draws,' added coach Shrestha, 'That's how the players played.' The defeat limited the planning to 22 points. Towards the end of the game, the planning was limited to 10 players, when Nyingma Ghising was forced to leave the field after receiving a red card. After the game, coach Sanjit Singh said, 'This defeat has created a difficult situation for us.'