Karnali Locked In: 10th National Games Slated for Mangsir 16–29

Sachit Subba

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PSG Beat Aston Villa 2-1 to Retain UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg

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PSG Beat Aston Villa 2-1 to Retain UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg

Paris Saint-Germain showed their strength in European football on Wednesday night, beating Aston Villa 2-1 in Salzburg to retain the UEFA Super Cup. With this win, the back-to-back Champions League winners joined Real Madrid and AC Milan as the only clubs to win the trophy in consecutive years. The game picked up pace in the 20th minute, when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took a pass from Désiré Doué just inside the box, moved past Matty Cash, and fired a powerful shot past Marco Bizot. Villa, playing in their first Super Cup since 1982 after winning the Europa League, stayed strong. Newcomer Brian Madjo quickly made an impact, missing two headers and hitting the post with a third attempt before the 17-year-old finally scored just before halftime. With Willian Pacho close by, Madjo powered John McGinn's cross into the top of the net, making him the youngest player ever to score in a UEFA Super Cup. This was a big moment for Villa, who had only cleared Madjo to play last week after winning an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over his January transfer from Metz. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/R6mbdFB7NNv20u8FwXmEH5psAfqJSK512AchrKnI.jpg) At halftime, Luis Enrique made a change, taking off new signing Maghnes Akliouche and bringing on Ousmane Dembélé. The move worked right away. Villa had the first chance of the second half when Matvey Safonov made a quick diving save from McGinn, but PSG regained the lead in the 61st minute. Dembélé broke through the Villa defence with a well-placed pass, allowing Doué to score with a shot into the far corner. The assistant referee first ruled the goal offside, but a quick VAR review overturned the decision, and the goal stood. Even with strong late pressure from Unai Emery’s team, PSG’s defense stayed solid until the final whistle from Somalian referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan. This win gives Enrique his 13th trophy since becoming PSG’s coach in 2023 and adds to Emery’s tough record, as he has now lost all four of his UEFA Super Cup appearances. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/SXOaMUAFOwiaNPiCl8FngAUvTdI0IwRiWqB4mMBZ.jpg) PSG will now turn their attention to defending the French Super Cup against Lens on Sunday. Villa head back to England encouraged by their performance against the European champions.

Fortis FC Beat Muras United 1-0 in AFC Challenge League Qualifier

Fortis FC made history on Tuesday afternoon, beating Kyrgyzstan’s Muras United 1–0 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena to reach the AFC Challenge League group stage. Bangladeshi winger Mohammad Ibrahim made the difference soon after halftime, scoring in the 52nd minute to send Fortis through in their first appearance on the Asian stage. **A Tough Match in the Heat** Playing in the intense heat, Fortis tried to take control from the start and created several chances in the first 30 minutes. Captain Pa Omar Babou hit the post after a strong run into the box, but Muras United still kept the score 0–0 at halftime. The deadlock was broken seven minutes into the second half when Pa Omar Babou picked up the ball near midfield, got past his defender, and played a perfect pass to Ibrahim. Ibrahim took one touch and calmly finished with a low left-footed shot under Muras' goalkeeper Orest Kostyk. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/8CidGOCp0evgEvEdXolQaDxVWZYESmzvXccMSHcQ.jpg) **Holding the Lead** Three minutes later, Fortis almost scored again when defender Ananta Tamang curled a shot from the edge of the box, but Kostyk made a diving save. Muras United had a chance to equalise in the 74th minute after a handball in the box gave them a penalty. Erbol Atabaev’s shot hit the post, and Fortis goalkeeper Sujan Perera kept the clean sheet. Fortis held on thanks to strong defending all over the field, with Nepali internationals Arik Bista and Ananta Tamang starting for coach Masud Parvez Kaiser. They helped the team stay solid under late pressure from Muras United. Fortis qualified for this continental match even though they finished third in last season's Bangladesh Premier League. When other top teams did not meet the AFC club licensing requirements, Fortis secured Bangladesh's spot by meeting all the criteria. Fortis will now wait for next week’s group stage draw to learn their opponents in the main tournament. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Police FC, who finished fourth last season, will play Syria’s Al-Ittihad Al-Ahli in their own qualifier in Jordan.

Overseas Nepali Football Community Rallies Behind Injured Star Ashish Rai

Overseas Nepalese football clubs have raised nearly NPR 1.2 million to support young footballer Ashish Rai, who suffered a severe injury on the pitch and remains under medical care. The grassroots fundraising drive was spearheaded by Malaysia-based N-Penang FC and culminated in an international friendly series in Penang, which was designed specifically to finance Rai's medical treatment. The series brought the campaign into match play. The main tournament featured competitive clashes between local and diaspora sides, including Himalayan FC, N-Penang FC, and Australia-based Nepbourne FC. Complementing these matches, a special veterans' fixture between N-Penang FC Veterans and Jhapa Veterans added momentum to the event, with all proceeds channelled directly into Rai's recovery fund. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/Gl0QZndcWk96bT4E8hGo5KFqONa8jYb2n4F6ICsN.png) Match-day actions and community contributions across the series yielded 21,144 Malaysian Ringgit (approximately NPR 784,161). Building on this support, Nepbourne FC pledged a direct sum of NPR 400,000, pushing the cumulative relief fund to NPR 1,184,161. This joint effort highlights the growing network and social commitment of Nepali diaspora football organisations, turning competitive sports into a vital support system for injured players at home.

Cricket

CAN Approves $500K for Women’s Cricket and Reveals NPR 473M Revenue from NPL Season 2

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) Central Working Committee met on April 6, 2026. The committee approved a $500,000 USD (approximately NPR 66 million) investment in women's cricket, aligning with ICC gender-balance directives. It also decided to seek a lease extension for the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and to pursue a formal transfer of the Lower Mulpani Cricket Ground from the National Sports Council. These actions aim to strengthen cricket infrastructure and improve financial transparency. The meeting recognised the commercial success of the Nepal Premier League (NPL), whose second edition generated revenue of NPR 473.6 million. After NPR 219.6 million in expenses, NPR 161.8 million was distributed to eight franchise teams. The board approved the tournament’s financial statements. CAN scheduled its next Annual General Meeting for May 10–11, 2026, in Biratnagar, and set a mid-June deadline for 20 district committees to complete pending elections to ensure effective governance.

Lumbini Pulls Off Super Over Heist: APF Giants Toppled in Birgunj Thriller

LUMBINI, NEPAL – Near the Maya Devi Temple, birthplace of the Buddha and a symbol of peace, Lumbini Province secured a hard-fought Super Over win against the powerful APF Club. The PM Cup match started as a low-scoring contest before turning into a tense thriller, ending in a tie-breaker with Lumbini just one run short. Santosh Yadav stood out, dismantling the APF lineup at key moments. **The Super Over Showdown** Both teams scored 124, heightening tension. Lumbini batted first in the tie-breaker, scoring 14 despite losing opener Akash Tripathi for zero. Yadav added 8 runs quickly. Defending 15 runs, Yadav then bowled. He dismissed captain Rohit Paudel for one and then limited Lokesh Bam and Sundeep Jora to a combined five runs. APF closed with 6 runs for 1 wicket. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/ZqfBIT3gBKyBYeZA4WOu25ByEoHx3JgwDScHn3ZE.jpg) **The Collapse and the Comeback** Despite several national players, APF struggled and were all out for 124 in under 40 overs. Abhishek Gautam, batting in the lower order, top-scored with 28. For Lumbini, Ajay Chauhan took 4 wickets for 14 runs. Lumbini’s chase looked easy with Captain Dev Khanal (45) and Akash Tripathi (32) at the crease. Then, they lost their last nine wickets for only 50 runs and struggled to finish. **Shifting the Table** This win moves Lumbini to fifth with five points. APF, usually strong, drops to sixth. Lumbini showed determination and resilience, overcoming tough challenges to win.

Lamichhane’s Seven-Wicket Blitz Crushes Karnali in PM Cup

JANAKPUR: On Wednesday, Sandeep Lamichhane took control of the match with a thrilling display, seizing seven wickets and powering Bagmati Province to a stunning 60-run victory over Karnali Province. Building on his initial impact, Lamichhane’s bowling electrified the PM Cup Men’s National Cricket Tournament, restricting Karnali to 120 runs in 25.1 overs as they desperately chased 181. His outstanding 7 for 40 now stands as the tournament’s fourth-best performance, sparking cheers from the crowd. **The Collapse** However, after a spirited start to their chase, Karnali couldn’t handle Lamichhane’s bowling. Nischal Rawal was the only one to put up a fight, scoring 31, while Dinesh Adhikari added 22 and Bipin Shahi made 15. The rest of the middle order fell quickly to the spin attack. As the innings progressed, Lamichhane wasted no time, striking early and maintaining relentless pressure, dismantling most of Karnali’s batting order. Though Rijan Dhakal, Pratish GC, and Subas Khatri took one wicket each, Lamichhane's sensational spell stole the spotlight. Claiming seven wickets, he joins a legendary group of PM Cup performers. ![](https://bootballer.com/storage/media/posts/UXg4zswHX2br4bcFc84U0LusPls2TAQkmwJ7rg0R.jpg) **Bagmati’s Gritty Total** Earlier in the day, Bagmati had a tough start after being sent in to bat. They lost wickets regularly, but Bibek Magar held the innings together with an important 56. Ishan Pandey added 27, and Pawan Thapa scored 22, helping the team reach 180 before being bowled out in the 39th over. Despite Karnali’s captain, Diwan Pun, bowling well, his good work was undone by his team’s batting collapse. In contrast, Bagmati’s bowlers were sharp and took control of the match.

Volleyball, Esports and Off Field Updates

Karnali Locked In: 10th National Games Slated for Mangsir 16–29

Off-Field

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