Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Lalitpur City FC defended its Nepal Super League (NSL) title with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Pokhara Thunders in an entertaining fixture at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Saturday.
Papa Ibou Kebe scored the winner for Lalitpur City after Sudil Rai of Pokhara Thunders canceled out Imoh Ezekiel’s first-half opener in front of a capacity crowd.
Lalitpur ended the NSL campaign undefeated.
Lalitpur made the first serious move of the game in the 14th minute. However, Papa Ibou Kebe’s attempt sailed over the crossbar.
Pokhara got an opportunity in the 23rd minute when Sudil Rai’s cross deflected off a Lalitpur defender and fell on the path of Pokhara captain Ayush Ghalan. However, Ghalan’s effort lacked direction.
Pokhara missed another chance four minutes later when Stéphane Samir Binong’s shot off Joe Aido’s free-kick narrowly missed the post.
Lalitpur took the lead in the 42nd minute. Pokhara goalkeeper Yves Priso failed to punch Manoj Rai’s cross, allowing Imoh Ezekiel to score.
The first half ended 1-0 in Lalitpur’s favor.
Lalitpur squandered a chance to double the lead minutes after the restart when Kervens Belfort failed to connect to Imoh’s beautiful pass from the right flank. Imoh unleashed a powerful shot after dancing through Pokhara defenders in the 61st minute, but his shot rebounded off the post.
Pokhara equalized in the 63rd minute. Lalitpur goalkeeper Jeffrey Baltus deflected Stéphane Binong’s header off Padam Bhattarai’s cross. Sudil Rai pounced on the rebound to make the score 1-1.
Lalitpur regained the lead in the 74th minute when Pokhara defenders failed to clear a loose ball, allowing Imoh to find Papa Ibou Kebe, who slotted home easily from inside the box.
Lalitpur entered the final after defeating Dhangadhi FC in Qualifier 1, while Pokhara first defeated Chitwan FC in the Eliminator and overcame Dhangadhi FC in Qualifier 2 to reach the final.
The winning side received a cash prize of Rs 8 million, while the losing team took home Rs 3 million.
Individual Honors
Emerging Player of the Season – Santosh Khatri (Lalitpur City FC); received a check for Rs 100,000
Energetic Player of the Season – Mani Kumar Lama (Lalitpur Cit FC); received a check for Rs 100,000
Best Goalkeeper of the Season – Yves Priso (Pokhara Thunders); received a check for Rs 150,000
Highest Goalscorer of the Season – Ahmad Hijazi (Dhangadhi FC); received a check for Rs 150,000
Most Valuable Player of the Season – Ayush Ghalan (Pokhara Thunders); received a check for Rs 250,000
