Culture

Visiting Club Polideportivo Cacereño defeated Kathmandu XI 2-1 in a friendly at the Dashrath Stadium on Thursday to complete.

With the victory, the Spanish fourth division side have won both friendly games on the tour. They beat Pokhara XI 3-0 in the opening game of the tour at the Pokhara Stadium on Wednesday.

Cacereño captain Alvaro Claus and David Grande scored on either side of half time, while George Prince Karki pulled a goal back for the home outfit. 

The visitors from Cáceres took the lead in the 40th minute through Claus. Grande doubled their lead in the 83rd minute.

In the 85th minute, Karki raised Kathmandu XI’s hopes of a fight back, but it was not enough, as Cacereño held firm to complete the win. 

Cacereño are using the two games on the Nepal tour as a warm-up for their campaign in the upcoming knock-out tournament in Spain. The team return home on Friday.

The Caceres-based outfit, which compete in the fourth tier of Spanish league, defeated Cordoba 3-0 in the opening round of the Copa del Rey last month to secure a high-profile meeting with Spanish giants Real Madrid in the round of 32 on January 4.

Football for Peace

The two matches were played under the slogan “Football for Peace” as part of the twinning project between the city of Cáceres and Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. 

The tour was organised by the Lumbini Garden Foundation in conjunction with Nepali Embassy in Spain, All Nepal Football Association, Kathmandu and Kaski district football associations.

The Spanish side have undertaken the longest trip in their 103-year history also with the purpose to disseminate the news of an international Buddhist complex that is being put together in Cáceres. 

In 2020, Lumbini and Cáceres‎ reached an agreement to establish a twin-town relationship, and extend support towards building a Buddha’s statue and temple in Spain that is meant to serve as a symbol of world peace.

The Lumbini Garden Foundation is developing the $27.5 million project the centrepiece of which will be a 40m-tall seated Buddha statue.

Planned on the outskirts of the city – some 290km southwest of Madrid – the site will also feature gardens, a library, relics of the Buddha, and a residence for 20 monks, according to the mayor of Cáceres, Luis Salaya.