Regar-TadAZ players celebrate

KUALA LUMPUR: Former champions Regar-TadAZ and Nepal Police Club (NPC) played a 2-2 draw to qualify for the AFC President’s Cup semi-finals on Thursday.

The Tajikistan champions finished with seven points in Group A while last year’s runners-up Nepal Police Club qualified as the best runners-up team in all the three groups.

Midfielder Chetan Ghimire opened the account for the Nepalese club in the 33rd minute but Ibragim Rabimov restored the parity two minutes into the restart.

Jumanu Rai, who had scored a hat-trick against Bangladesh’s Abahani in the opener and his team’s only goal in 1-1 draw with Pakistan’s WAPDA, once again put his club ahead in the 67th minute only to see Rabimov snatch a point for the Tajiks in the injury time.

In an inconsequential match, Abahani registered a consolation 1-0 victory over WAPDA, thanks to a 84th minute strike from Ameli.

Two-time defending champions Kyrgyzstan’s Dordoi-Dynamo and Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat have already qualified for the tournament proper to be played in Bishkek from September 19 to 21.