By Bootballer Desk • Football • Mar 13, 2025 14:50 PM • 246 views
Kakarvitta, Mechinagar — In one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent Nepali football, Church Boys United booked their place in the final of the Mechinagar Gold Cup 2081 with a stunning 4-3 comeback victory over Machhindra Football Club on Thursday at the Kakarvitta Ground.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Church Boys roared back in the second half behind a sensational hat-trick from Abayomi Fakunle, rewriting the script of a match that looked all but lost. Fakunle's explosive performance, complemented by a goal from Richard Wilson, powered Church Boys into Saturday's grand finale, where they will take on tournament hosts Kakarvitta Football Training Center.
⚽ First-Half Blitz from Machhindra
Machhindra looked to be cruising into the final after a commanding first-half display. Yusuf Malik opened the scoring in the 30th minute, followed by a brilliant finish from Andres Nia in the 43rd minute off an assist from Aditya Shakya. Just two minutes later, Malik bagged his second goal, finishing off a well-weighted ball from Niya to give Machhindra a dominant 3-0 cushion at the break.
🔥 Second-Half Resurrection
Church Boys, however, came out a different team in the second half. Fakunle ignited the revival in the 60th minute, slotting home from a Richard Wilson assist. The Nigerian striker doubled his tally in the 68th minute, capitalizing on another precise delivery from Wilson to make it 3-2.
Wilson turned scorer in the 78th minute, latching onto a loose ball after a miscleared Fakunle cross to level the score at 3-3, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
With five minutes remaining in regulation time, Fakunle completed his hat-trick in style, racing onto a through ball from Chandan Das and calmly finishing past the goalkeeper to seal a breathtaking 4-3 win.
🏆 Final Awaits
The comeback sets up a tantalizing final clash against Kakarvitta Football Training Center on Saturday. Tickets are priced at Rs 100. The champions will walk away with a purse of Rs 1 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs 500,000.
In a tournament that has delivered high-octane football throughout, Church Boys' semifinal heroics might be one of the most memorable matches in Mechinagar Gold Cup history.
