Nepal, Bangladesh play out goalless draw in friendly

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 7: Nepal and Bangladesh played out a goalless draw in their first international friendly at the Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu on Saturday.

It marked Nepal’s return to home turf after nearly two years, with the national side featuring at the venue for the first time in 21 months. Their last home fixture was against Yemen in November 2023.

The hosts dominated possession and applied consistent pressure but failed to convert chances into goals during the regulation 90 minutes.

Bangladesh thought they had taken an early lead, only for the effort to be ruled offside by the referee.

Nepal came close in the 29th minute when Ananta Tamang flicked on Mani Lama’s free-kick, but Bangladeshi shot-stopper Mohammad Sujon Hossain produced a crucial save to deny the centre-back.

In the 39th minute, Bangladesh’s Sumon Reza unleashed a long-range strike that narrowly cleared the crossbar.

Much like the first half, both sides struggled to break the deadlock after the interval.

Nepal’s Gillespye Jung Karki tested the keeper with a long-range effort in the 68th minute, but Sujon Hossain was equal to it.

Eight minutes later, Sohel Rana’s powerful drive was parried away by Nepal’s custodian Kiran Chemjong, keeping the scoreline intact.

With neither team able to find the net, the match ended in a goalless stalemate.

The result adds pressure on the second friendly, scheduled for Tuesday, which must produce a winner. If the match ends level after 90 minutes, it will be decided via a penalty shootout.

Syria beat Nepal

In Dushanbe, Nepal’s U23 side suffered a 4–2 defeat against Syria in their AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Group K clash on Saturday.

According to the-afc.com, Syria staged a late comeback with goals from Mahmoud Alaswad and Mahmoud Nayef to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Nepal had taken a surprise lead in the second half through Nirajan Dhami and Sumit Shrestha, who scored in the 56th and 66th minutes respectively.

Earlier, Mohammad Almustafa had opened the scoring for Syria in the 26th minute. Ali Alrina then equalised in the 73rd minute before Almustafa and Nayef sealed the win with goals in the 81st and 89th minutes.

The result marked Syria’s second win of the campaign, while Nepal slumped to their second consecutive defeat, having lost their opener to hosts Tajikistan.