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Nepal’s losing streak in international football stretched further, following defeat to Pakistan at the 2018 South Asian Football Federation Championship in Bangladesh. Led by interim Coach Bal Gopal Maharjan, Nepal desperately  needed a bounce back win after underperforming at the recently concluded Asian Games in Indonesia. A consistent and competitive  performance was imperative for Nepal to generate early momentum and build confidence. They had to set the tone against Pakistan , avoid defeat  and get off to a perfect start. Unfortunately, it did not materialize as they fell well short of expectations. The 1-2 defeat is a big blow to Nepal’s quest for South Asian Football  Federation Championship (SAFFC) title. Nepal’s offense did come up with a much improved performance, launching forays, maneuvering moves and creating scoring  chances, but they lacked the execution and finishing touch. Nepal, however, was found wanting in defense. In fact,...

The Under-23 national  football team of Nepal’s debacle  at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia was/is a big setback. It is no exaggeration to say that the result is a sorry reflection of the declining standard of Nepali football. Three straight defeats pretty much sums up Nepal’s abject performance.It was very frustrating and very disheartening  to see the team fail to perform up to their potential and concede, especially the match to Pakistan, which they should have won. Contrary to expectations,Nepal lost to the Pakistani side in transition, playing their first  international competition in three years. The 1-2 defeat to Pakistan clearly underlines Nepal’s mediocrity and ongoing slump in international competitions. Nepal’s loss to superior opponents Vietnam and Japan was no surprise. In fact, prior to  both matches, the likelihood of defeat was on the cards. The only way they could have prevented was by beating the odds,but unfortunately the...

After two successive defeats,the men’s national football team of Nepal is on the cusp of exiting from the 2018 Asian Games  in Indonesia. Having lost the opener to Japan,Nepal went down to Vietnam 0-2 without a fight. Yet another disappointment, sadly. There is no excuse for the latest setback,which was no surprise. Let us concede to the fact that Nepal lost to a better opponent that played a more positive,attacking and organized brand of football. Prior to the clash, the only question that remained, whether Nepal would stick to the same defensive game plan as they did in the opener against Japan. They did eventually, giving liberty to the opponent to dominate  and control exchanges for the most part of the game. Nepal performed  poorly in the first half. It was a tale of erratic passes,lack of coordination, defensive lapses, slack offensive and midfield play, giving away the ball far too easily,inability to make forays into  opposition territory...

Despite defeat, the men’s national football team of Nepal did reasonably well to contain Japan to a solitary goal at the 2018 Asian Games Football. The narrow score-line does not tell the true story of the game. The Japanese had total control of the match, dominating  the proceedings from start to finish. The only thing they failed to do was score goals as they would have liked to. It was obvious that underdogs Nepal went into the game with  a defensive mindset as they never deviated from the strategy till the final whistle. The ultimate objective was to concede a few goals, which they succeeded in doing, at the end of the day. Given the strengths of the Japanese and Nepal’s vulnerabilities,it looked as though Head Coach Koji Gyotoku and his Assistant Bal Gopal Maharjan  purposefully took to defensive tactics and strategies to avoid an embarrassing defeat in terms of conceding too many goals. They knew well that a stubborn defensive approach was the ...

Unsurprisingly,football is one of the most followed and keenly watched events at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. The Under-23  competition features  Asia’s powerhouses like South Korea, Japan,Uzbekistan,Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran. Some of the names missing out are Iraq and India. The national team of Nepal is in the fray and hoping to make it to the knockout stage.I do not see that happening,based on their current form and struggle to deliver results. As part of the preparation, Nepal played against Thai sides,losing both friendly games.The lackluster performance  has raised eyebrows and concern more than the defeat. In other words, the performance of the team left much to be desired. They face an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stage. It is obvious that Nepal will need a vastly improved performance to turn things around in order to stand an outside chance and beat the odds. They are in a  pretty formidable group and pitted against...