Lalitpur City lifts Nepal Super League

 

The much publicized, talked about and eagerly anticipated second edition of the Nepal Super League concluded in Kathmandu recently.

Nepal’s premier franchise based club football league,the first of its kind,got a new champion in Lalitpur City  FC.

The Lalitpur outfit  capped a winning performance to prevail over Dhangadhi FC  3-2 in an absorbing and entertaining final.

Overall they  put on a good show climbing to the top from mid- table position and winning the title eventually. 

They made a  quick turnaround,  eliminating Kathmandu Rayzrs and Pokhara Thunders in must win eliminator and second qualifier matches respectively.

It was  a disappointing end for Dhangadhi FC for the second successive season as they had to settle for the runner up position.

They finished  behind Pokhara Thunders in standings but  carved out an important victory over them in the first qualifier for a place in the final.

In the final against Lalitpur they  seemed destined for glory when they took an early lead but their fortunes took a hit after they conceded three goals and were reduced to ten players in the 80th minute.

In spite of reducing the score line in the dying minutes of the game,they did not have  time to restore parity.

On the other hand, a promising start went in vain for defending champions Kathmandu Rayzers.They struggled for form when it mattered most and fizzled out in decisive matches.

Table toppers Pokhara Thunders failed to cash in  on the momentum and ended up losing both qualifying matches.

Of the three new teams,Jhapa FC had the best finish.Although they were level on points with Lalitpur City and Butwal Lumbini FC  they finished fifth behind the former and above the  latter due to their  inferior and superior goal  difference respectively.

Birgunj United FC and Sporting Ilam De Mechi FC were tied on points.However,the Birgunj outfit took the 8th position on a better goal difference.

The scoring was dominated by foreign players with Imoh Ezekiel of Lalitpur City topping with 6 goals.

Likewise,with 5 goals  each William Opoku(Birganj) and Moses Gyabaah Twum(Pokhara) shared the second position.

Further down the  players scoring list  from 4 to 3  goals, there was not   a single local player.

Rajiv Lopchan(Kathmandu),Arik Bista(Butwal), Ayush Ghalan(Pokhara) and Dinesh Henjan(Lalitpur) were amongst the goal scorers with 2 goals each.While eight  other  local players opened their  account with  a goal.

Clearly there was a lack of scoring from local players.Ananta Tamang  was voted the tournament’s best player. That,eventually, was the good news.

There was a big  sigh of relief  once  the  competition finally  kicked off after a year of uncertainty and delay.

Foreign players' performance grabbed headlines for the most part.Home grown players were not far behind and  left no stones unturned when it came to dishing  out encouraging performances.

There was no dearth of up-and -coming local players in the competition.They were able to showcase their potential and skills.

In my opinion it was a hectic  match schedule as the tournament was played over  just seven days. 

Clearly players did not get adequate rest after games.This impacted players overall performance and put them at risk of becoming injured during matches.

It seemed though the organizer rushed to finish off the competition.They  must take note of the schedule and make changes to make  it less  hectic next season,

The presence of  Ivorian  legendary  footballer Didier Drogba in the inaugural match of the second season added  glitter and mileage to the tournament.

It was  a smart marketing strategy on the part of  the Nepal Sports  and Events Management(NSEM),the organizer of the competition .  

The magnitude of a tournament  in  the stature of Nepal Super League(NSL) is immense,especially in the context of Nepal football. 

Without a doubt NSL is the biggest  and most important platform for local players domestically.

Foremost,the continuity of the  competition without  any interruption  to make a meaningful impact in the  short  and long run matters most.

More importantly,the coordination amongst All Nepal Football  Association, NSL and A Division needs to be much better for the  smooth running of the tournament.