Paro FC Surprises Thimphu City FC At Woochu Sports Arena.
In the clash of giants at Woochu Sports Arena, Paro FC welcomed their title contender rivals of previous seasons, “Thimphu City FC,” for their second home match. To date back to their head-to-head record last season, Paro FC won one game at Changlimithang National Stadium that decided the title and drew at Paro Sports Arena in the first leg.
Thimphu City FC started the game quite nicely, getting control over the ball and getting the ball into the opposition box quite frequently. They got an excellent opportunity in the 2nd minute of the game when Dawa did lots of dancing inside the Paro FC box and crossed to Karma Shedrup, who flicked the ball to Chencho Gyeltshen, who pulled the trigger. However, his shot was blocked by Florent. Thimphu City FC players appealed for a handball, but it was overturned by the referee after reviewing the VAR.
In the next minute, Paro FC registered a shot on target from their striker, Kazuo, after a counter from them; however, the shot was stopped quickly by his Japanese counterpart. Thimphu City FC also got an excellent opportunity in the 6th minute from a counter. Chencho crossed the ball inside the box from the right flank. Gyeltshen Zangpo, the goalkeeper, came out of his line to collect the ball, but the ball was out of his reach. Armand, who was unmarked by the Paro FC defender, leapt tall, but he failed to hit the target, and the ball went for a goal kick. Paro FC players came to a relieved halt after his header went out for the goal kick.
The first half ended with Paro FC leading 1-0, but their relentless attack continued into the second half. Just two minutes after the break, Evans unleashed a blistering run on the right flank and triggered a powerful shot from a tight angle, sending the ball soaring into the net and doubling the lead for his team.
Thimphu City FC struggled to find a response as they were thwarted by a solid defensive performance from Paro FC’s backline. The midfielders were relentless in their pressing and transition play, creating numerous opportunities for the forwards to exploit the opposition’s defence.
In the 50th minute, Evan again used his pace and counter into Thimphu City FC’s penalty area and shot a powerful shot that hit the left bar and bounced back inside the ground. Phurpa Wangchuk collected the ball inside the box and hit another powerful shot, which hit the net, extending Paro FC’s lead to 3-0. Thimphu City FC’s hopes of staging a comeback seemed to fade away as they found it difficult to penetrate the well-organized defence. In the 59th minute, Chencho was brought down by the captain of Paro FC, Kinley Wangchuk, and was given a penalty after consulting with the VAR assistant. Armand, who has scored five goals for the citizens in his two appearances, stood up to take the spot kick. However, his shot was saved by Gyeltshen Zangpo, who went in the right direction.
Paro FC’s Evans proved to be the standout performer of the match. In the 82nd minute, he capitalized on the final goal of the match, pouncing on a loose ball to complete his brace and further cement Paro FC’s dominance with a commanding 4-0 lead.
Despite the scoreline, Thimphu City FC did not give up and tried to salvage some pride with a late surge, but their efforts were in vain as the home team’s goalkeeper and defence stood firm, denying any chance of a consolation goal. With a score line of 4-0, this is the first time between the two teams, that Thimphu City FC has lost by the biggest goal margin over the years.
The final whistle blew, and Paro FC celebrated a convincing victory over their rival, stamping their authority as a serious contender for this season’s championship.
In the Press Conference, Paro FC head coach, Mr. Puspalal, said that the win over the city will boost the morale of the Paro FC players as they prepare for the AFC Cup and added that he did not expect that his team would win by that goal margin. On the other hand, the head coach of Thimphu City FC, Mr. Ngawang Dendup, stated that they will have to regroup and come back stronger in their pursuit of glory for the remainder of the season.
Leave a Comment