Church Boys United Stage Epic Comeback to Reach Mechinagar Gold Cup Final
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.
