By Bootballer Desk • Football • Feb 16, 2025 14:09 PM • 376 views
Jhapa, Nepal – Pathari 11 FC of Morang emerged as the champions of the Limbuni Thuli Memorial Cup 2081, securing a hard-fought victory over Jalthal FC in a thrilling final at Kaidaley Prakriti Stadium, Khudunabari, Arjundhara-3, on Sunday.
The high-stakes final saw both teams locked in a tense, goalless battle for the regulation 80 minutes, forcing the match into a penalty shootout. Even after the tiebreaker, the deadlock remained, leading to a sudden-death decider, where Pathari 11 edged past Jalthal FC by a narrow 5-4 margin.
Pathari 11's Min Dhimal, Ashish Lawati, Ashish Chapagain, Abayomi, and Ankit Limbu successfully converted their spot-kicks, while Jalthal's Devan Bhujel made crucial saves against Umesh Karki and Dhiren Bista. Meanwhile, Jalthal's Abhishek Gurung, Roshan Dhimal, Pema Tamang, and Pujan Rai found the net, but Tekan Magar's miss proved costly as Pathari 11's goalkeeper, Samir Chhetri, stepped up with a decisive stop to seal the victory.
Top Performers and Individual Honors
Samir Chhetri's heroics between the posts earned him the Player of the Match award along with a cash prize of NPR 3,500. Pathari 11 dominated the individual accolades, with Suman Bk named Best Coach, Ashish Lawati securing Best Midfielder, and Dhiren Bista earning the Best Defender title.
Jalthal FC's Roshan Dhimal claimed the Top Scorer award, while goalkeeper Deban Bhujel was recognized as the Best Goalkeeper. The Best Player award went to Jalthal's Asimjung Karki, while the Rising Player Award was jointly given to Nishan Basnet of Charity Youth Club and local talent Rajesh Dahal.
Prize Distribution and Tournament Legacy
With their triumph, Pathari 11 FC walked away with a cash prize of NPR 105,555, while runners-up Jalthal FC earned NPR 77,777. Individual category winners received NPR 55,000 each, and the Best Player took home NPR 7,000 along with a trophy.
Organized by the Charity Youth Club, the tournament honoured the memory of Limbuni Thuli (Aitmaya Subba), a former resident of the Bhutanese refugee camp who passed away last year after relocating to the United States as part of a rehabilitation program. Her son, Babi Subba, currently residing in the U.S., sponsored the event in her honour.
“This tournament is my way of keeping my mother's memory alive and contributing to the growth of Nepali football," said Babi Subba, a football player and coach. The organizers estimate the total expenditure for the tournament to be around NPR 1.4 million.
