Nepal Police Club began their Aaha Rara Gold Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over host team Sahara Club Pokhara, thanks to a decisive goal from Ujwal Rai.
In the tournament’s opening match at Pokhara Stadium on Tuesday, Police Club edged past Sahara with a narrow win. The only goal of the match came in the 36th minute of the first half when Ujwal Rai’s curling corner kick directly found the back of the net, giving Police the lead.
With this victory, Nepal Police Club has advanced to the quarterfinals, while Sahara Club has been eliminated from the tournament. Despite dominating possession early on, the host team struggled with their finishing.
Sahara came close to scoring on multiple occasions but failed to convert their chances. In the 5th minute, William Sesenong’s powerful shot was saved by Police Club’s goalkeeper Shatrudhan Chaudhary. In the 8th minute, captain Sushil Lama also missed an opportunity to score.
Police Club also created several chances, with Vivek Pandey coming close in the 17th minute, but his shot went just wide of the post. In the 21st minute, his free kick was brilliantly saved by Sahara’s goalkeeper Santosh Mahat.
In the second half, Sahara continued their efforts to find an equalizer. In the 56th minute, captain Sushil Lama’s attempt was once again denied by the Police goalkeeper, who punched the ball away to maintain the lead.
Nepal Police Club will now face Brigade Boys Club UK in the quarterfinals on February 26.
Meanwhile, the tournament will continue on Wednesday with Machhindra Football Club set to take on APF at 2 PM.
