Kathmandu: Two first half goals from captain Anjan Bista inspired New Road Team (NRT) to a 3-1 victory over Friends Club as they stormed into the semifinal of President Cup Football Tournament at the Dasharath Stadium, Tripureshwar, on Sunday.

The match began with early dominance from NRT, and it was Bista who struck first. In the 19th minute, the Nepal international forward latched onto a precise pass from Angel Maharjan, calmly finishing from inside the penalty area to give NRT a 1-0 lead.

Bista doubled his tally just five minutes later. This time, he rose high to meet a well-delivered cross from Kritish Ratna Chunju from the right flank. The unmarked forward powered an unstoppable header past the Friends Club goalkeeper Avishek Baral, extending NRT’s lead to 2-0 before the break.

The second half began with NRT looking to seal the game. Just two minutes after the restart, Richard Wilson put the match beyond reach for Friends Club. Dribbling past three defenders, Wilson broke into the box and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner for a clinical finish, making it 3-0.

Friends Club didn’t give up, though, and they were rewarded for their persistence in the 81st minute. Captain Bibek Poudel pulled one back, collecting a pass from Doku Israel and calmly finishing past NRT goalkeeper Bishal Sunar to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

Despite Friends Club’s late surge, NRT held firm to secure the win and fix a semifinal meeting against Bagmati Lokatantrik, the hosts, in what promises to be an exciting match on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the other semifinal match will see Sankata Club take on Machhindra Club on Monday.