By Sachit Subba • Football • Sep 19, 2025 04:45 AM • 18 views
Nepal's hopes of securing a direct semifinal berth at the SAFF U-17 Championship suffered a significant setback on Thursday, as they suffered a 4-0 defeat against Bangladesh at the Colombo Sports Complex. From the opening whistle, Bangladesh dictated the tempo, while Nepal looked short of ideas in attack and failed to create any meaningful chances. The result leaves Nepal's semifinal fate hanging on the final group-stage match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bangladesh broke the deadlock in the 30th minute when right-back Mohammad Sabir Islam pounced on a misjudged clearance from Nepal goalkeeper Ram Bohara. Captain Najmul Huda Faisal's corner was mishandled by Bohara, allowing Sabir to slot home. Moments earlier, Ram had denied a long-range effort from Mohammad Opu Rahman, but Bangladesh capitalised on the resulting set-piece. The second half quickly turned into a nightmare for Nepal. Just four minutes after the restart, Faisal set up Opu Rahman to double the lead. Within a minute, midfielder Mohammad Arif unleashed a low drive from 22 yards that slipped past Bohara, again assisted by Faisal. By the 66th minute, forward Mohammad Manik added a fourth to complete Bangladesh's rout.
Despite relentless pressure, Bangladesh failed to add to their tally, but the damage had long been done.
Nepal coach Sanjit Singh rested forward Niskumar Shrestha and midfielder Sushan Thapamagar, both starters in the 2-0 win over Sri Lanka, citing health concerns. Assistant coach Devkumar Maden admitted the absence of key players disrupted the team's rhythm.
"Our midfield couldn't function today. With first-choice players unavailable, we tried new options, but they couldn't deliver. It directly affected our performance," Maden said after the match.
While Nepal's dream of topping Group A is over, they still stand a chance of making the semifinals depending on the outcome of Sri Lanka's clash against Bangladesh. If Nepal progresses, they will face the Group B winners, with six days of preparation time ahead.
"We'll work on correcting today's mistakes in training," Maden added. "Bangladesh are clearly stronger than Sri Lanka, but we believe we still have the edge to secure our spot in the final four."
