Nepal storm into semis after Pak win

KATHMANDU, JUL 25 -
Nepal stormed into the semi-finals of the Second SAFF Under-16 championships following their dominant 3-0 win over defending champions Pakistan at Dasharath Stadium on Wednesday.

The tournament ended as a nightmare for Pakistan as they crashed out without scoring a single goal.

A brace from Bimal Gharti Magar in the second half after Sujan Limbu’s early lead saw the home side cruise into the last four as Group A winners.

Making a fiery start, Nepal kept their opponents on backfoot throughout the match. Nepal took the lead in the 13th minute when Sujan Limbu headed home a superb cross from captain Hemant Thapa Magar at the near post.  The early lead boosted

the hosts’ confidence and looked the only team that would come out victorious.

The second half was the

photocopy of the first with Nepal maintaining their domination,  camping on the opposition

territory. Nepali wingers Sujan Limbu and Shiva Subedi posed a constant threat to the Pakistan defence, creating numerous  opportunities with swift passing moves and clever footwork. Gharti Magar doubled Nepal’s advantage in the 65th minute when he slotted home a casual shot from inside the box after meeting the through ball and dodging past the defence in the process.

Eight minutes later, Gharti Magar scored his second of the match, tapping home a corner off Thapa Magar from the close range, leaving almost no room for Pakistan to fight back.

Nepal coach Bal Gopal Maharjan was elated with the performance of his team and was hopeful about winning the championship if their perfect form continued.

“My players gave their all today and if this continues, we can lift the championships,” said a proud Maharjan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan joined Nepal in the last four after they came from a goal down to win 3-1 against Bhutan at the Nepal Army ground.

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