Defending league champion Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) hammered the new entrant Saraswoti Youth Club (SYC) 7-0, starting its campaign with a bang at the opening match of the ANFA Martyrs’ Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League Football at the Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu, on Wednesday.
Although they appeared quite trouble-free, the MMCians had a tough time early in the game and had two early strikes paid Saraswoti Club fruit, the 7-0 result wouldn’t have been so much of a burden to the Koteshowr based club. Tanka Basnet carried the ball from mid line and dribbled past two MMC defenders but his shot went just wide from the side pole early in the 3rd minute. Former MFC player Rupesh Dhaubanjar punched his hands on air when he hit the woodwork in the 5th minute.
Following the football techniques of 3s – stamina, strategy and skill, MMC finally hit the debut goal in the 40th minute through Sagar Thapa. Thapa, who was supposing to give a long pass to the left flank, shot brilliantly, from 35 yards, to provide the lead to MMC. Former international and the army’s goalie Channu Ram Choudhary could do nothing but saved three breathtaking goal-scoring chances during the proceedings. MMC took the lemon break up 1-0.
After the lemon break, SYC couldn’t hold MMC and six more goals were on offer. SYC shuddered more in the second half with three goals coming off in just a matter of seven minutes. Anil Gurung was luckier to collect Nirajan Khadka’s pass inside the D-box who doubled the score in the 55th minute with an easy header. MMC seemed unstoppable and scoring the goals were their main agenda when speedster Raj Kumar Ghising added the third goal in the 59th minute following the pass off Nabin Neupane.
Basanta Gauchan found his first goal in this league in the 62nd minute capitalizing on the pass from Sandeep Rai. SYC could have cut the deficit in the 75th minute but Tanka Basnet’s shot hit in the side pole. The wee hours served more aggression from the MMC side where Nirajan Khadka also wrote his name in goal sheet in the 79th minute while Raj Kumar Ghising doubled his personal tally in the 89th minute. Nabin Neupane, who got nickname “Horlicks” for his powerful shot, struck final nails in SYC’s coffin in the 90+2 minute.