KATHMANDU, Sept 28: Ruslan Three Star has reached the final of Bordoloi Trophy registering an impressive 4-1 victory over Sikkim United FC in Guwahati, Asaam on Wednesday.
Three Star and United Sikkim both couldn't score in the first 45 minutes despite creating some good chances. However, Three Star started the second half brightly as its Nigerian striker Martins scored in the 66th minute giving the Lalitpur-based club a lead against the Indian second-tier club. But the Indian side equalized in the 89th minute with Sonam Chhiring's goal.
After the regular time ended with a 1-1 draw, the game was extended for another 30 minutes. Three Star retained the league in the 94th minute as Martins scored his personal second goal of the match. The national champion of Nepal piled up pressure on the Indian opponent and as a result defender Bijaya Dhimal made the scoreline 3-1 in the 100th minute. It was experienced midfielder Bijay Gurung who ensured the impressive victory over the club owned by Indian legendary footballer Bhaichung Bhutia.
Three Star head coach Megh Raj KC expressed his happiness over his team reaching the final. However, he wasn't happy with the performance of his players in the regular 90 minutes. "We should have won the game in the regular time as the opponent was not that much strong. But my players were over confident so we couldn't play according to the plan in the first half," said KC.
"We corrected the mistakes in the second half and succeed to score goals to ensure the win," added KC.
KC, who had led Three Star to the semifinal of the same tournament six years ago, said that the players need to be mentally stronger for the final match which is not going to be easy.
Three Star captain Bikram Lama accepted that players couldn't play their actual game. "We couldn't play according to our level in the first half but we improved in the second half and score goals," said Lama.
Three Star had qualified for the semifinal as group winner registering win against Flamingo FC of Nagaland and playing 1-1 draws with both Oil FC India and I-League outfit Shillong Lajong.
Three Star will face the winner of the second semi final match between East Bengal and Shillong Lajong in the final on September 30 at the Nehru Stadium. The winner of the tournament will bag a purse of IRs 2 million.
Three Star qualifies for the AFC Cup play-off (photo feature)
