The Perfect Send-Off: Paro FC Close the First Round in Style with a Five-Star Evening at Changlimithang

An emotional tribute, a Sidiki thunderbolt, a Yuta brace, and a Baldeh finish to cap it all off — Paro FC's 5–1 victory over Thimphu FC was everything a final first-round fixture should be, played in the right spirit and finished with a smile.

In Memory of Coach Ngawang Dendup

Before the match began, players, staff, and supporters at Changlimithang Stadium came together to observe a one-minute silence in memory of the late Coach Ngawang Dendup — a beloved figure in Bhutanese football who gave his life to the beautiful game, first as a player and then as a coach. His legacy lives on in the generations of footballers he inspired, and in the spirit with which this match was played.

Rest in peace, Coach Ngawang Dendup. The game is richer for everything you gave it.

There was something in the air at Changlimithang Stadium on the evening of the first-round finale. A gravity that made the occasion feel bigger than just three points — and a warmth that carried through from the tribute before kick-off to the final whistle and beyond.

Paro FC rose to the moment in the most joyful way possible: five goals, a high-IQ team performance, and a send-off into the second round that felt thoroughly earned. Thimphu FC came into this match in fine form and showed genuine quality throughout, which made the Tigers' 5–1 victory all the more impressive. This was not a comfortable walk. It was a real contest — and Paro FC delivered when it mattered.

Thimphu FC Make Their Mark — But Sidiki Has Other Ideas

For the opening stages of the match, it was Thimphu FC who looked the more energetic side. The Thunderbolts pressed with purpose and created genuine opportunities, with Chizoba rattling the post in the early minutes to signal their intent and send a brief ripple of anxiety through the Paro FC support.

But football is a game of moments, and the most important moment of the first half belonged entirely to Sidiki Jawara. In the 32nd minute, the midfielder received the ball outside the area, took a touch, and let fly with a strike that had power written all over it from the moment it left his boot. Thimphu FC goalkeeper Tenzin Wangchuk got a hand to it — a good save in any other circumstances — but the sheer momentum of the shot carried it over the line regardless. 1–0. The kind of goal that makes the crowd gasp before they cheer.

"Sidiki let fly with a strike that had power written all over it from the moment it left his boot — Tenzin got a hand to it, but nothing was stopping that one."

Three in Five Minutes — Paro FC Turn It On

What followed was the kind of three-goal burst that changes a match in the blink of an eye — and leaves opposition coaches shaking their heads at how quickly it can all unravel.

Just a minute after Sidiki's opener, Nima Wangdi played a beautifully intelligent ball into the feet of Yuta, who had made the perfectly timed run to receive it. The finish was composed, certain, and exactly where Yuta wanted it. 2–0 in the 33rd minute — and the game was already shifting decisively in Paro FC's direction.

Three minutes later, it was 3–0. Abdoulie Baldeh delivered a dangerous low cross from the right — the kind of delivery that defenders dread and strikers dream about — and Yuta was exactly where he needed to be to tap it home. His brace completed inside five minutes. Changlimithang erupted.

"Three goals in five minutes. Yuta's brace completed inside the blink of an eye. Changlimithang erupted — and the first-round finale had found its story."

Paro FC went into half-time with a 3–0 lead and the kind of collective energy that only comes from a team playing with total freedom and total trust in one another. The first half had delivered everything and more.

Thimphu FC's Response — and Why It Matters

The second half told a slightly different story, and it is one worth telling fairly. Thimphu FC came back out with real determination and, in the 55th minute, they pulled one back through Stephen Abeiku — reacting quickest to finish from the rebound after Siddarth's initial effort was saved. It was an opportunistic, well-taken goal, and it sparked a ten-minute spell where the Thunderbolts pressed for a second and genuinely put Paro FC under pressure.

Paro FC navigated that pressure with the kind of game-aware composure that only comes with experience and trust in the system. They did not panic. They did not rush. They kept the ball, held their shape, and waited for the moment to exhale — which arrived, as it often does, from an unexpected source.

Kinga's Cross and a Memorable Baldeh Finish

In the 77th minute, Kinga Wangchuk swung a cross in from the left that caused immediate confusion inside the Thimphu FC penalty area. Under pressure, with the goalkeeper already committed off his line, Udoka's attempted clearance diverted the ball into his own net. 4–1. It was unfortunate for Thimphu, but it was Paro FC's creativity and persistence that had manufactured the situation in the first place — another example of how this team generates goals from multiple angles and multiple moments.

The fifth and final goal was perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing of the evening. Deep into stoppage time, Richard picked his head up and floated a perfectly weighted lofted pass over the Thimphu FC defence — the kind of football-intelligence pass that requires both vision and technique in equal measure. Abdoulie Baldeh brought it down with composure, looked up once, and finished with the calm authority of a player who had been waiting patiently for exactly this moment. 5–1. Full time.

"Richard's perfectly weighted lofted pass was the kind of football-intelligence delivery that requires vision and technique in equal measure — and Baldeh's finish was everything it deserved."

First Round Complete — and Paro FC Are Right Where They Want to Be

Five goals from five different contributing moments. A clean performance that showed creativity, depth, resilience, and joy in equal measure. And a final first-round scoreline that sends Paro FC into the second phase of the BoB Bhutan Premier League 2026 in exactly the right shape.

The numbers say it all: Paro FC top the table as the first round concludes, with a goal tally and a points haul that reflects a team firing on all cylinders. The goals came from Sidiki's long-range thunderbolt, Yuta's clinical brace, an own goal forced by Kinga's intelligent delivery, and Baldeh's poised stoppage-time finish. Different players. Different methods. One consistent outcome.

For Thimphu FC, there is plenty to take heart from. Their performances throughout the first round have shown they are a genuine force in this league, and Stephen Abeiku's goal was a reminder of the quality they carry. The second round will offer new opportunities, and the Thunderbolts will come into it with more than enough reason to be optimistic.

But tonight belonged to Paro FC. And what a way to end the first round.

Five goals. One unforgettable evening. And a tribute, shared before kick-off, that reminded everyone inside Changlimithang why football is about more than just the game.

For Coach Ngawang Dendup — this one was for you. And for Paro FC and their supporters, the second round begins now. The Tigers are ready.