Salhesh thrash Phidim 6–0 to reach Taplejung Gold Cup semifinal

Salhesh Youth Club from Siraha stormed into the semifinals of the Taplejung Gold Cup with a big win over Phidim Sporting Club of Panchthar. In Tuesday’s last quarterfinal match, Salhesh scored six goals while Phidim failed to score even once.

Salhesh scored four goals in the first half and two more in the second. They will now face Red Star Club from Jhapa in the semifinal on Thursday.

The scoring started in the 5th minute when Sadiya Adam’s shot hit the post, bounced on the ground, and was cleared by a defender — but the referee decided it had already crossed the goal line. In the 35th minute, Sujit Budhathoki scored from a free kick, and goalkeeper Asim Khadka could not stop it. Two minutes later, Yusuf Mallik netted the third goal from inside the box. In the 42nd minute, Phidim’s Jangbahadur Khadka scored an own goal, making it 4–0.

In the second half, Yusuf scored his second goal in the 66th minute, and Mohit Gurung made it 6–0 in the 80th minute. This match saw the most goals of any quarterfinal in the tournament. Interestingly, these two teams met at the same stage last year, but Salhesh had only won by one goal then. Yusuf was named man of the match and received Rs 7,000.

On Wednesday, the first semifinal will be between Church Boys Club of Lalitpur and The Young Brothers Club of Itahari, Sunsari. Church Boys reached the semifinals by defeating Legends Football Academy of Siliguri, India 1–0, while The Young Brothers beat hosts Tellok Sporting Club 2–0.

The eight-team tournament offers Rs 702,082 to the winners and Rs 350,282 to the runners-up. The best player of the tournament will win a motorcycle, and there are other category awards. The final will be held on August 15. Ticket prices are Rs 200 for the semifinals and Rs 250 for the final, while quarterfinal tickets were Rs 100.