No end to poor run for Team Nepal

 

The men’s national football team of Nepal’s losing streak in international tournaments continues unabated.

They had to endure yet  another defeat in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup Qualifiers Group F match against hosts Malaysia on Tuesday.

Malaysia completely dominated the proceedings to secure a comfortable 2-0 over a mediocre Team Nepal.

 

The winners had little trouble containing  the opposition that underperformed and failed to put up  a fight 

Going by the match statistics the Malaysians overwhelmingly had the upper hand throughout the ninety minutes of play.

They had 75 %  ball possession  compared to  Nepal’s 25 %.Similarly,they made 11 attempts on the goal,while Nepal failed to make a single attempt .

Evidently the  statistics speaks for itself when it comes to Nepal’s  disappointing   performance. 

The Malaysians  had  total control of   midfield and were on the attack offensively for the most part of the game.However, their efforts to score maximum goals went in vain as they lacked clinical finishing.

On the other hand,Nepal turned in a subdued and ragged performance.They completely failed to  make an impact on the match.

It was a tale of  struggle for them from beginning to end  as they struggled  to find rhythm, tempo,pace,cohesion and momentum.

Poor offensive  play and  midfield mediocrity put the team on  shaky ground and had the defense under enormous pressure.

Nepal came into the qualifiers on the back of  morale boosting victories against Afghanistan and Singapore in friendly matches.

Players confidence  level was all time high, and everyone expected a fighting performance from the team.

The newly appointed Australian Head Coach Matt Ross was cautiously optimistic about his  team's chances against Malaysia. 

He said players were in a positive frame of mind, possessed technical abilities and raring to go,but it did not materialize much to everyone’s chagrin.

Team Nepal travels to  Laos  for the next match in June.This is a tie Ross boys cannot afford to concede in order to bounce back. It is a chance for them to redeem themselves 

Keeping in mind the head to head  history between the two sides,Nepal has a clear edge over Laos.

Having won 3 and  drawn 3,the Nepali outfit  ranked 175th is undefeated against 186th ranked Laos.

That being said, underestimating the opponent  and taking victory for granted would be a  big mistake for Ross boys.

As a matter of fact,they face  quite a challenge in overcoming the opponent's home -field advantage.Their success is possible only if they put on a vastly improved performance and play at their absolute best.  

There is no room for complacency, unforced errors and sloppy play on all fronts.More importantly,it is a big opportunity for them to end the losing streak and open their account in the competition.They must not squander the chance to get back on track.

Both  Nepal and Laos are winless, however,the former is third in the table standings on better goal difference. 

Following Laos' clash Nepal takes on formidable Vietnam who are  atop the standings.