BIRTAMOD: Sankata Football Club Kathmandu stormed into the semifinals of the ongoing LVD Jhapa Women’s Gold Cup with a commanding 6–0 victory over home team Jhapa FC at the Dudhe Stadium in Shivasatakshhi, Jhapa.

From the outset, Sankata dominated the game with aggressive play.

In the 13th minute, national U-20 player Sukriya Miya’s shot was comfortably collected by Jhapa goalkeeper Sujata Tamang.

Sujata also denied attempts from Anisha Rai’s 25-yard free kick in the 15th minute and Samiksha Magar’s long-range effort in the 23rd minute.

However, Sankata’s relentless pressure paid off in the 23rd minute when Senu Pariyar scored the opener from a precise cross by national player Purnima Rai.

Although captain Yashoda Shahi failed to capitalize on a free kick in the 30th minute, Samiksha Magar doubled the lead in injury time of the first half with an assist from Sunita Bhulan, putting Sankata 2–0 ahead.

Jhapa’s head coach, Sandesh Shrestha, later admitted that his team could not perform as expected due to inadequate preparation.

Sankata returned even stronger in the second half.

In the 55th minute, Bhutanese signing Chhiring Wangden extended the lead to 3–0 through a clever back-heel pass from Purnima Rai.

Six minutes later, Purnima herself scored off a pass from her U-20 teammate Senu Pariyar to make it 4–0.

In the 83rd minute, Purnima netted again from a long cross by Renisha Sharma, completing her brace.

Substitute Aruna Syangten sealed the emphatic 6–0 victory with a goal in the final minute of regular time.

Sankata’s forward Purnima Rai, who delivered a standout performance with two goals and two assists, was declared Player of the Match, receiving a cash prize of Rs 15,000 and a trophy.

After the match, Sankata coach Rabindra Shilakar praised his players for executing the team’s strategy effectively, while Jhapa coach Shrestha reiterated that lack of preparation led to the home team’s disappointing result.