Nepal to be tested in friendlies against Tajikistan, Afghanistan

Kathmandu, Nov. 13:The Nepali men’s senior team will be back in footballing action on Wednesday after a gap of five months. Playing the last international match against Yemen in the second round of FIFA WC Asian Qualifiers on June 11, Nepal will meet Tajikistan at 6:45 pm Nepali time on November 13.

Tajikistan is hosting Nepal and Afghanistan for friendlies during the break in international football. While the host will face Nepal on Wednesday, Nepal will compete against Afghanistan on November 16. Tajikistan and Afghanistan will be competing in the final match of the friendlies between the three nations on November 19.

According to the Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF), the games will be played at the Central Stadium in Dushanbe. The TFF also organised a joint meeting of the team representatives on Tuesday to discuss the organisational structure of the tournament.

“During the meeting, the match uniforms were also discussed. It was decided that Tajikistan will play in white jerseys and Nepal and Afghanistan will wear red,” read a statement by the TFF. It is likely for Nepal to wear the second kit, the blue one, against Afghanistan.

Head-to-head results

It is not the first time that Nepal has met Tajikistan and Afghanistan on the football ground. However, it has been several years since they last played football against one another.

Nepal’s last encounter with Tajikistan was in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup of 2018 where Nepal lost by 2-0. Previously, Nepal lost twice (1-2 and 0-3) to Tajikistan in 2017 during the two legs of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. 

On the other hand, Nepal and Afghanistan met each other when Afghanistan was participating as a South Asian country in the SAFF Championship. Nepal won against Afghanistan in SAFF 2009 while lost in the encounters in 2011 and 2013.

Currently, Nepal ranks 176th in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking and Tajikistan and Afghanistan are at 105th and 151st positions respectively.

Nepal’s hopes

The two friendlies have led the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) to have at least one proper reply when asked about their steps for the development of men’s football. It is because it has been over 500 days that the ANFA has not organised the senior most domestic league in men’s football.

As a result of the lack of opportunities for male footballers in the country, the rate of promising players leaving abroad has been on the rise over the years. And it has also led the national squad to have new faces now and then.

For instance, two of the faces – striker-duo Sanjeeb Bista and Hishub Thapaliya –who were in the squad against Yemen in June have not been inducted in the squad for the friendlies as they have left the country. 

Similarly, injured Ananta Tamang and Laken Limbu also paved the way for two more new players in the squad. The four new faces in the squad replacing them are Abhishek Waiba, Randip Paudyal, Anjal Maharjan and Nirajan Dhami. 

Nevertheless, it is not only the players who are new; the coaching staff is also filled with new faces. After the departure of Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese, the ANFA appointed Nabin Neupane as the interim head coach followed by Chet Kumar Ghimire and Nabin Maharjan as the assistant and goalkeeping coaches respectively.

Comparatively, Nepal’s team is not well prepared and regularly trained to put up a competitive game, left alone win, against the two higher-ranking teams. Thus, the squad can mount pressure on the authorities by showing quality football against the two opponents amidst minimum investment and resources.

Nevertheless, Nepal’s striker Anjan Bista has the chance to create a new history in men’s football. With one more goal, Bista will be the Nepali men’s footballer with the highest international goals. With 13 goals under his belt, Bista is currently the joint top-scorer for Nepal alongside Hari Khadka and Nirajan Rayamajhi.