Georgian FC Kalimpong has advanced to the 7th Manebhanjyang Gold Cup quarterfinals after defeating DSA Howda Kolkata 7-5 in a thrilling match on Thursday.
Kalimpong took the lead early on, with Kunjman Thapa scoring twice in the first 11 minutes. Basant Rai added a third goal in the 23rd minute to give Kalimpong a commanding 3-0 lead.
However, Kolkata fought back and pulled two goals back to a brace from Mithun Shah. Sylas Lepcha restored Kalimpong’s three-goal lead in the 45th minute, but Shah scored again two minutes later to reduce the deficit to 4-3 at halftime.

Kalimpong regained their three-goal advantage in the second half, with Thapa completing his hat-trick in the 49th minute and scoring his fourth goal just two minutes later. Captain Pranab Mukhia added a seventh goal for Kalimpong in the 54th minute.
Kolkata tried to get back into the game and scored three goals in the last 30 minutes, with Shah completing his hat-trick in the 60th minute and scoring his fourth goal in the 70th minute. Substitute player Bapan Bera scored a goal in injury time, but it was not enough to prevent Kalimpong from winning the match.
Kunjman Thapa was named the man of the match for his hat-trick performance.
On Friday, the first quarterfinal match will be played between Srijunga Sporting Club Bhadrapur and Mohammedan Athletic Club Kolkata. The second match will be between Himalayan Sherpa and Kanchanjunga FC Siliguri.