Saraswati edges RCT in thriller with Mdabela hat-trick (with photos)

KATHMANDU, Jan 16: Yona Elias Mdabela continued his impressive form in the Martyrs Memorial Red Bull A Division Football League as he scored a hat-trick to guide Simrik Saraswati Club to a thrilling 4-3 victory over McDowell´s Ranipokhari Corner Team (RCT) on Wednesday.

Mdabela, who scored six goals against Mahindra Bansbari in his side´s previous league match, scored a hat-trick against RCT on Wednesday and dented the latter´s hopes of leading the points table. Following the defeat, RCT is in the second position with 26 points from 14 matches while leader Three Star Club has 29 points from 13 matches.

With nine goals in the last two matches, Yona is on top of the goalscorers list with 16 goals.

Saraswati, which has already defeated leader Three Star Club and third-placed NMB Machhindra Club, piled pressure on second-placed RCT early in the first half with a 2-0 lead within 21 minutes.


RCT vs Saraswati Club. (Photo: Bijay Rai)

Rajendra Tamang opened the scoring from the left flank beating as many as three defenders in the 18th minute. Mdabela doubled the lead three minutes later. He scored from the box in Geofrey Bonny´s pass.

In the injury time of first half, Saraswati captain Michael Mtisefe conceded an own goal in his attempt to stop Yugal Kishor Rai´s cross.

Mdabela scored his second goal in the 48th minute to widen the lead to 3-1. An unmarked Mdabela headed into an open net as he met Olawale Usman´s cross in the danger zone.

RCT added two goals in the span of seven minutes to level the scores at 3-3. Pradip Malla scored the second RCT goal with a one-touch strike from the edge of the danger area in the 57th minute and Bhim Darlami, who was left unmarked in the danger area, tapped a pass from Yugal Kishor Rai in the 64th minute.


Mdabila of Saraswati Club reacts after scoring. (Photo: Bijay Rai)

However, Mdabela not only completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute but also sealed the victory for Saraswati. He rushed to the danger area and scored with a cool finish from the area after receiving a through ball from Geofrey.

"Yona is the best forward among the foreign players in the league," said Saraswati coach Dhruba KC. "We are achieving success because of teamwork since rest of the players in our team are average," he added.

"We lost a few matches in the middle but we never got frustrated," said KC. "We initially had a target of avoiding relegation but we expect to enter the super eight round now," he added.

RCT coach Baiju Kapali said his defense line flopped in the match and the midfield could not hold the game. However, Kapali, also accused the referee of bias against his club.


RCT vs Saraswati Club. (Photo: Bijay Rai)

Following the win, Saraswati moved up to sixth position with 23 points from 14 matches dashing defending champion Nepal Police Club´s hopes of qualifying for the super eight round. Police is in the ninth position with 19 points from 13 matches. Army Club and Friends Club have 22 and 21 points respectively from 13 matches.

NRT adds to APF´s woes

In the day´s early kick-off, New Road Team (NRT) beat relegation-threatened Armed Police Force (APF) 2-1. Following the win, NRT has almost confirmed its place in the super eight round.

APF, which had to replace captain Kumar Thapa with Jibesh Pandey early in the first half after Thapa picked injury, remained a goal down in the first half. Akeen O Babatunde headed home in a Laxman Ruchal´s corner in the 41st minute to provide a 1-0 lead to NRT.

Ganesh Lawati leveled the scores with a cool finish in a one-on-one with NRT goalkeeper Raju Yogi in an acute pass from Santosh Shrestha in the 49th minute.
However, NRT captain Ruchal restored the lead in the 52nd minute through a free-kick from 20 yards.

Earlier in the first half, NRT goalkeeper Yogi denied Shyam Nepali in the 31st minute while Nepali fired inches wide from the edge in the 42nd minute.

NRT coach Diken Suwal said his side added important three points despite failing to put up a good show.

His counterpart Janak Singh said his side conceded goals in dead balls because of the goalkeeper´s mistake and could not convert chances on their part. "We are still under relegation threat but we´ll give our best to avoid it," said Singh.

APF is in the 12th position with 15 points from 14 matches while Samsung Jawalakhel Youth Club has 14 points from 13 matches and Iceberg Madhyapur Youth Association has 10 points from 13 matches.

With the win, NRT moved up to the fifth position with 25 points from 14 matches. Fourth-placed Laxmi Hyundai Manang Marshyangdi Club also has 25 points from 13 matches.

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Collapse of apartment building in Egypt kills 25

CAIRO: An eight-story apartment building collapsed Wednesday in the port city of Alexandria, killing at least 25 people in the second deadly accident to hit the country in as many days, according to police and health officials.

Mohammed el-Sharqawy, a senior official at the Health Ministry, said at least 12 people also were injured and that rescue teams were searching for survivors under the rubble. Military police from a nearby naval base cordoned off the area to help the rescue operation.

The collapse came a day after 19 police conscripts were killed when the last car of the train they were riding in jumped the tracks and smashed into another train just outside Cairo.

The wreck sparked protests in several cities where demonstrators complained that the new government is failing to carry out reforms and overhaul the nation's deteriorating public services.

President Mohammed Morsi's government has blamed Tuesday's train accident on what officials say is nearly 30 years of corruption and misrule under Mubarak. Transport Minister Hatem Abdel-Lateef told another news conference that overhauling the country's railways would cost 15 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.3 billion), a hefty sum for nation reeling from two years of political and economic turmoil.

A taxi also crashed with a moving train in a low income area in Giza on Wednesday, killing four passengers in the cab, including a child, security officials said. According to an initial investigation, the taxi rammed through a ground-level rail crossing barrier and was hit by the coming train.

The taxi driver survived but fled the scene, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Hundreds of residents gathered at the site of the crash.

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse in a poor district of Alexandria, but violations of building specifications have been blamed for similar accidents in the past. The governor of Alexandria, Mohammed Abbas Atta, told Egypt's official news agency that the building was constructed without a permit.

Abul Ezz el-Hariri, an opposition lawmaker from Alexandria, warned that hundreds of buildings in the city could face the same fate, but lax law enforcement following the ouster two years ago of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak means that no action is being taken against building violations.

Residents complain that owners of farmland on the city's outskirts have taken advantage of the chaos and near lawlessness that followed the overthrow of the former president and illegally sold their land to developers who built shoddy apartment blocks.

Similar violations have taken place across much of the country. Pointing to the magnitude of the problem, Housing Minister Tareq Wafeeq told reporters that a total of 318,000 illegal constructions went up in 23 of Egypt's 27 provinces between 2009 and 2012.

Alexandria's security chief, police Maj. Gen. Abdel-Mawgood Lutfi, said the building was constructed five years ago and had 24 apartments.

That the building collapsed early in the day meant that most tenants were home. Police evacuated residents of two adjacent buildings out of concern that the collapse may have caused structural damage to them.

The collapse could stoke criticism of Morsi's administration. Critics accuse the post-revolutionary government of failing to do more to reform the nation and fix public services.

Two months ago, 50 children died when a train rammed into their school bus in southern Egypt. That tragedy also sparked a storm of criticism of Morsi. The Islamist leader has struggled to deal with major problems, including an ailing economy, tenuous security, a slumping tourism industry and seemingly endless political turmoil since taking office in June.

Late Wednesday, Morsi's administration sought to defuse the mounting criticism, declaring its solidarity with the victims of the train wreck and the building collapse. Spokesman Yasser Ali said the presidency offered its condolences to the victims' families and pledged to ensure that they and the survivors received the best available care.

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Nepal move one step up in FIFA standings

KATHMANDU: Nepal has managed to move one step up in the FIFA World rankings for the month of January. Nepal managed to accumulated 83 points to jump up to the 170th position. In South Asia Maldives are ranked on top. Spain is still in the summit, while Germany and Argentina are placed second and third respectively.

The rankings for South Asian teams are:


Teams Ranking

Maldives 159

India 166

Bangladesh 168

Nepal 170

Afghanistan 186

Pakistan 189

Sri Lanka 190

Bhutan 207

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