Uzbekistan’s Black Bulls have won the 24th Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup, defeating six-time champions Nepal Police Club 3-1 in the final. The match took place on Saturday at Pokhara Stadium, where Black Bulls secured the title in their debut appearance.
Black Bulls took the lead in the 40th minute with a goal from Kuvonchbek Olimov. Asilbek Orifjonov doubled the lead in the 58th minute, and Savkatjon Sattorov made it 3-0 in the 66th minute. Nepal Police’s Shishir Chaudhary scored a consolation goal in the 74th minute.
The Uzbekistan-based team showed their dominance throughout the tournament. They defeated India’s Thunderbolt North United 3-0 in the quarterfinals and thrashed five-time winners Three Star Club 4-0 in the semifinals.
By winning the tournament on their first attempt, Black Bulls created history. Meanwhile, Nepal Police Club, aiming for a record seventh title, fell short in the final.
Black Bulls became only the second foreign team to lift the Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup, following African United, a team of African players, who won in 2005 (2062 BS). In total, they are the ninth different club to win the tournament.
Nepal Police Club had an early chance to take the lead in the third minute, but Arun Gaha’s header hit the post and bounced out.
As champions, Black Bulls received a cash prize of NPR 1.2 million along with the prestigious Aaha Rara Gold Cup trophy. Runners-up Nepal Police Club had to settle for NPR 601,000.
