Laos upsets Nepal in Asian Cup Qualifiers

The men’s national football team of Nepal looking for their first win took a big  tumble in the men’s AFC Asian  Cup football  qualifiers Group  F held  in Laos recently.

Head coach Matt Ross' boys  suffered  a  disappointing,frustrating and unexpected 1-2 defeat at the hands of hosts Laos who are 15 places below Nepal in the FIFA World rankings.

Speaking of  rankings, in my opinion it doesn't really matter. A winning performance matters more than anything at the end of the day.The outcome once again exposed Nepal's vulnerabilities. 

 

The  Australian coach  had to endure a second  defeat  since he took over the national team. As things stand,the scenario is far from rosy for him,and he now faces quite a challenge to turn the tide.

Considering the head to head record between the two sides,Nepal enjoyed a clear edge over Laos. 

Prior to this match, in the last six meetings between the two,Nepal had won three and drawn three.The loss did  come as a mild  surprise.

It was the first defeat Nepal suffered  against Laos in as many matches.The setback could not have come at a worse time, as the team has been struggling and going through a lean phase

They  entered the match against the hosts  as favorites and  had the opportunity to end  in the win column and redeem themselves. 

However,they messed up the match by underperforming and conceding the match eventually .

They paid dearly for mediocrity in the first half and missed goal scoring chances despite a late rally. They trailed by 2 goals in the closing stages of the game. Manish Dangi’s penalty conversion in the 73rd minute goal saw the team go all out for the equalizer and close out the match but all in vain.

Overall,they struggled to play inspiring football, lacked structure,creativity,  consistency and coordination to  stretch and overcome the opposition who successfully cashed in on home ground advantage to their favor.

With  two successive defeats Nepal dropped to the  bottom of the points table.They are winless and pointless so far. 

A tough match is  in store  for Nepal when  they face  Vietnam  in Vietnam in  the second week of  October this year.They will need a vastly improved,strong and  consistent performance to make their presence felt in the match.

Before their clash against Laos,Nepal had only registered three wins in their last 22 outings across all competitions.This reflects their struggle and poor form.

There remains much to be done to improve the state of Nepal football in terms of infrastructure  and grassroots development. In fact, the issue is systemic and lies deep within the heart of Nepal football. 

All Nepal Football Association is at  the core of the problem.They are largely to blame  for this stagnation,having  failed in  their responsibility to  effectively drive  the development of football over the decades.

If this situation does not change,Nepal football will continue to stagnate further,with no end in sight  to the players' woes,fans' frustration and teams’  poor performances in international competitions.