NPC victorious in Aaha Rara Gold Cup's 250th game

Pokhara, Feb. 13: The Nepal Police Club (NPC) have entered the finals of the 24th Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup defeating Church Boys United (CBU) at Pokhara Rangasala on Wednesday.

"It was a remarkable win for the NPC in the Aaha Rara Gold Cup," said head coach Chetan Ghimire in the post-match conference.

NPC and CBU were playing in the 250th game of the Aaha Rara Gold Cup, one of the prestigious mofasal tournaments in Nepal. "Alongside Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup's 250th game, it was NPC's 50th game in the event. So, we are happy to win on a historic day," Ghimire added.

The Sahara Club of Pokhara also celebrated the day with joy as the 250th game would be registered as a rich history in Nepali football.

Furthermore, with the win against CBU, NPC have booked a place in the finals. NPC believes that it can lift the Aaha Rara Gold Cup once again and grab the title for the seventh time.

Similarly, it will be the 11th time that the NPC will be playing in the final of the Gold Cup. They have reached the final after a gap of five years.

NPC did not have an easy time to grab the win. They won by a 1-0 score with CBU missing chances to equalise on multiple occasion.

Sanjib Lama gave NPC the lead in the 58th minute with a volley from around 25 yards away. Lama's shot was misjudged by CBU's goalie Tekendra Singh Thapa. Thapa expected the ball to go over the crossbar, but the high ball came down to kiss the back of the net.

CBU's mix of foreign and domestic strikers and midfielders had created more than enough chances to equalise. However, they could not.

Now, NPC will face the winner of the second semi-final game between Three Star Club and Uzbekistan's Black Bulls FC on Thursday.

The final of the 24th edition will be played on Saturday.