Sandesh Sigdel, Kathmandu
Lalitpur City FC have replicated their journey from the first edition of the Nepal Super League (NSL) by advancing to the same stage they were eliminated from in the second edition. They secured a victory in the Eliminator, defeating the defending champions Kathmandu RayZrs 3-0, and have now earned their spot in Qualifier 2.
Imoh Ezekiel scored twice for Lalitpur in the win, while the other goal came from their big center-forward Papa Kebe.
Lalitpur chose to start with Aditya Shakya and Ashwin Ghorasainee, the latter making his inaugural appearance in this edition, stepping in for the injured Roshan Pahari and the suspended Omolaja Kareem. Kathmandu, too, faced adjustments in their starting XI due to one-match bans for Amit Tamang and Tojidinov Komiwon, with Prashant Awasthi and Sushil Kumar Yadav taking their positions. Kathmandu encountered another setback when defender Kingue Oliver had to be substituted in the 15th minute due to an injury.
The game started slowly as both sides kicked off with a conservative approach and didn’t want themselves cut open at the back. However, Lalitpur were finding themselves inside the Kathmandu box with a few chances.
Dinesh Henjan’s deflected effort in the second minute after a neat one-two with Kebe was the first shot of the match from either side. Dinesh missed a shot on the open net in the 11th minute off a cutback from Imoh after the Nigerian picked Kingue’s pockets just outside the box.
Lalitpur’s perseverance had to wait until the 36th minute to find the back of the net. Sanish Shrestha’s cross was headed clear by Kathmandu skipper Anjan Rai but his clearance struck Rajiv Lopchan and fell for Papa. His shot was initially saved by Kathmandu goalkeeper Anzal Shrestha, but Imoh was at the right place to tap the rebound in for an easy goal.
Lalitpur found another just eight minutes later, and they needed a rebound to find a goal this time as well. An Ananta Tamang header at the far post from a Nikhil Kadam corner was headed clear onto the crossbar by Kuldip Karki but Papa was alert to smash the ball into the net to hand his side a two-goal cushion going into the break.
Imoh had a big chance to add another before the break but his shot from a narrow angle went across the post and wide.
Lalitpur started where they left off in the second half as well and didn’t waste much time before adding a third in the 52nd minute. Nikhil Kadam’s cross found Imoh free at the far post and the Nigerian international headed a free header into the back of the net to put a clear daylight between the two sides.
Kathmandu’s fortunes took a downward turn when their captain, Anjan Rai, received a red card for his second bookable offense in the 74th minute, leaving his side hung dry with ten men and no chances falling their way whatsoever.
Lalitpur now find themselves with an opportunity to better their finish last season, as a win against Pokhara Thunders on Thursday will put them in the final against Dhangadhi FC.
