By Sachit Subba • Football • Apr 18, 2025 14:19 PM • 80 views
Tribhuvan Army Club stormed into the semifinals of the inaugural International Invitational Lumbini Cup Women's Football Tournament with a commanding 4-0 victory over Sudurpaschim Province Football Association at the Banke Nepalgunj Stadium on Friday.
Anita Lamjel was the standout performer of the day, bagging a brace and walking away with the Player of the Match honours, while Hema Chaudhary and substitute Tulasa Bohara added one goal apiece in a clinical display by the Army.
Despite missing three of their key players – Deepa Shahi, Amisha Karki, and Bimala Chaudhary – Chakra Tamang's side barely missed a beat. Anita opened the scoring as early as the 4th minute, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error from Sudurpaschim's Sunaina Chaudhary, who failed to deal with Bimala Bk's teasing free kick.
Army doubled their lead early in the second half, as Anita struck again – this time curling a superb free-kick into the net in the 51st minute after Purnima Tadi was penalized for a handball near the edge of the box.
Just four minutes later, Hema Chaudhary made it 3-0 with a composed finish inside the penalty area following a well-placed assist from Sharmila Thapa. Then, in the 77th, Tulasa Bohara, coming off the bench, sealed the deal with a thunderous strike from outside the area, leaving Sudurpaschim's defence rooted.
The win sets up a semifinal clash on Baisakh 9 for the Army, who will face either fellow departmental rivals Nepal Police Club or India's Siliguri Football Association. Those two sides are set to meet on Saturday.
The Army is no stranger to deep tournament runs, having finished runners-up in the Women's Gold Cup in Ilam (Falgun) and another tournament in Chitwan (Chaitra). But this time, they're gunning for gold.
Eight teams are hunting for the Lumbini Cup title, including hosts Banke-11, APF, Nepal Police, Army, Karnali Province, Sudurpaschim, Rautahat, and Siliguri FC from India. The champions will take home a prize of Rs 505,555, while the runners-up will earn Rs 250,000, trophies, and medals.
The tournament, organized by Antaral in coordination with the Banke District Football Association, also features individual accolades, including Player of the Match and category-wise awards.
