Nepal aim to win SAFF U19 for third time

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 21: The fifth edition of the SAFF U-19 Championship is set to begin in Kathmandu on Thursday, with Nepal hoping to win the title for the third time. 

At a pre-match press conference held at the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) headquarters in Satdobato on Wednesday, Nepali team head coach Sunil Shrestha expressed his confidence that his team will capitalize on their home advantage to earn their third championship. 

Shrestha stated that Nepal will bank on home advantage for the title win. Shrestha further added that he believes Nepal will advance to the semi-finals as group winners. 

India's coach, Shubhendu Panda, also expressed his optimism for the championship, stating that his team has spent the last two years building their skills and abilities. 

Panda said that the team was selected from players throughout the country who had participated in trials since 2021.

According to Panda, the team has been training for SAFF for two years, including closed training in Saudi Arabia. The team also played two practice matches in Saudi Arabia, winning both games. Panda said that they aim to continue the same momentum in Kathmandu.

Nepal and India have each won the SAFF U-19 tournament twice. Nepal won the first edition held in Kathmandu in 2015, with Bimal Gharti Magar as captain. Nepal defeated India 5-4 in the penalty shootout. 

Two years later, under the captaincy of Arpan Karki, Nepal won the championship for the second time in a row by finishing at the top of the league standings. 

However, in the third round held in 2019, the Nepali youth side made an early exit despite playing on home ground, as India won the title by defeating Bangladesh 2-1 in the final. India won back-to-back titles in 2022 held in Bhubaneswar, with Bangladesh as the runners-up.

This year, Nepal is grouped with Pakistan and the Maldives in Group A, while India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh make up Group B. 

The tournament will begin with the match between India and Bangladesh at Dashrath Stadium at 1:30 pm (NST), followed by Nepal's match against Pakistan at 5:30 pm. 

The head coaches of the other teams also expressed positive outlooks for the tournament, with the Maldives coach stating that his team has given their best despite having less time for training. 

Bangladesh's coach expressed confidence in reaching the final for the third consecutive time, while Bhutan's coach stated that his team is ready to face any challenge.