Nepal hopes for consolation win over Pakistan

By Prajeet Shakya,Bengaluru, June 27: Though Nepal's challenge at the Bangabandhu SAFF Championship 2023 had already ended, its last match against Pakistan still carries significance. 

It has been 15 years since Nepal had forgotten to win against Pakistan. 

Nepal also wants to brush aside its three-losing streak and end the SAFF Championship on a positive note. Pakistan also made an early exit from the group round. It wants to return home with a consolation win, too.

A consolation win is what matters for both teams after the elimination. 

Pakistan on bad form

Nepal lost its first match against Kuwait 3-1 and lost the second against defending champion and host India 2-0. Despite the loss, Nepal gained praise for the second-half performance against Kuwait and the first-half fight against India. 

Pakistan, on the other side, has weak performance with both the team. Pakistan's return to international football has been only seven months. Owing to FIFA's suspension, Pakistan missed the last edition of the championship held in the Maldives. 

Pakistan resumed international football by playing against Nepal in a friendly match. Pakistan lost the match 1-0. After that, Pakistan lost other five international matches. In preparation for the championship, Pakistan played a Three-nation cup held in Mauritius and lost all the matches there. Pakistan also suffered a 4-0 loss against Kuwait and India in the present SAFF Championship. 

Opportunity for Nepal

Nepal, therefore, has a big opportunity to take advantage of sub-standard Pakistan and return home with its head held high. Coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese expressed his confidence in beating Pakistan. "We will dish out the best football and register a win against Pakistan. We have tried our maximum from our minimum preparedness for the championship. Players are playing their best. They are in high morale. Since I started coaching, the players have been improving. The minor blunders, however, have cost us the match. We conceded goals due to our own mistakes against Kuwait and India. We need to rectify those mistakes against Pakistan." 

I give my boys hundred per cent marks for playing in the championship without any proper training."

The Nepali team is in a transition phase after many regular players left for abroad and fresh legs were added to the national squad. 

Pakistan's assistant coach Torben Phillips said his team's bad results were due to the lack of experience. "Experience is needed to bag a win at the top level. Our boys need to play more matches to be a team." 

Pakistan included many migrant players to form a squad for the SAFF Championship. 

Nepal and Pakistan have so far played 17 times. Nepal has won six and Pakistan has won five matches. Six matches are tied. Since 2008 Nepal has not defeated Pakistan in the South Asian Regional football tournament. Off seven meetings in the championship, Nepal and Pakistan have won twice and tied three matches against each other.

Bista injured

The last time both played was at Dashrath Stadium during the tune-up match for the AFC Challenge Cup. Anjan Bista scored the match-winner then. Bista, however, will not be available against Pakistan on Tuesday after he sustained an injury while playing against India on Saturday evening. He left the field before the interval then.

Bista could have touched the milestone of scoring the highest international goals for Nepal on Tuesday. But Coach Annese said Bista will not be available against Pakistan. "He has sustained an injury on his knee. The report of the MRI is yet to arrive. He cannot play against Pakistan."  

Nonetheless, Italian Coach Annese will have the opportunity to experiment with the team. He could bench the regular goalkeeper and Captain Kiran Limbu and give a chance to alternative shot-stoppers Bishal Shrestha or Deep Karki.  

Resting one of the senior defenders, Rohit Chand or Anant Tamang, to provide new defenders with international exposure will be helpful for Nepali football's future. 

But Annese needs to take the risk for that. It is, however, expected that Annese, who backs new players, would give fresh legs opportunity against Pakistan.