Bengaluru: A persistent Nepal ended their SAFF Championship campaign on a bright note, beating Pakistan 1-0 in a Group A match here Tuesday.
Nepal’s Aashish Chaudhary (80th minute) broke the deadlock and ensured that Pakistan went back home winless. Nepal and Pakistan were already out of contention for a semifinal berth after losing their earlier matches.
The first half was rather tepid with both the teams struggling a bit to find their range and rhythm, although Nepal enjoyed superior possession.
The pace picked up in the second half as Nepal and Pakistan went for the jugular. The first clear chance came Nepal’s way as a cross from the right wing found Nawayug Shrestha unmarked but his header sailed over the bar.
Nepal intensified their sorties and came close to scoring a goal in the 60th minute. Manish Dangi just had to slot the ball past Yousuf Ijaz Butt but a weak shot was parried away by the Pakistan goalkeeper.
Eight minutes later, Shrestha took a lovely free-kick that curled into the Pakistan goal but the woodwork denied the Nepal midfielder.
Just as it appeared that the match was heading for a goalless draw, Sanish Shrestha found Aashish inside the box with a through pass. Aashish cleverly pushed the ball under a diving Yousuf to give Nepal a 1-0 lead.
Nepal had a few more chances to double the lead after Pakistan opted for a downright attacking game to find the equaliser. However, both the teams were unsuccessful in their respective ventures.
PTI
