Friday, November 1

Challenging Draw for Nepal in 19th Asian Games Women’s Football

By a Staff Reporter

Kathmandu – Nepal Women’s Football team finds itself in a formidable group as they gear up for the 19th Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, later in September.

The draw places Nepal in Group D, alongside two strong contenders, Japan and Vietnam, both currently participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Adding to the challenge, the group also includes the South Asian Champion, Bangladesh. This marks the first time that Nepal will face the gold medal contender and former World Cup winner, Japan, in an international match.

Nepal has already clashed with Vietnam and Bangladesh earlier this year. Two-leg matches were played between Nepal and Vietnam during Olympic qualification at Dasarath Stadium. Similarly, Nepal faced a defeat against Bangladesh in the final of the SAFF Championship in September last year. However, the team managed to redeem themselves in a two-match friendly series in Dhaka, held earlier this month. The first match ended in a draw, leading to a thrilling penalty shootout in the second game, which Nepal won. The deadlock remained unbroken during regulation time, taking the match into the shootout.

The women’s football tournament at the Asian Games will see a total of 17 teams vying for the top honors. The group stage will be followed by the next round, featuring the top teams from each group and the three best runners-up. The group breakdown is as follows:

Group AChina, Uzbekistan, Mongolia
Group BChinese Taipei, Thailand, India
Group CNorth Korea, Singapore, Cambodia
Group DJapan, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh
Group ESouth Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Myanmar

The Nepali team has been training for the past one and a half months for the 19th ASIAD. The team is preparing under the guidance of one of Nepal’s most successful coaches, Balgopal Maharjan. Maharjan is being assisted by Nepal Sports Council (NSC) Chief Coach, Aruna Gurung, and Goalkeeper Coach, Shri Prakash Baidya.

Full Squad:

GoalkeepersAnjila Tumbapo Subba, Anjana Rana Magar, Usha Nath
DefendersAmrita Jaisi, Gita Rana, Hira Kumari Bhujel, Puja Rana, Bimala BK, Nisha Thokar, Samikshya Ghimire
MidfieldersRenuka Nagarkoti, Saru Limbu, Bimala Chaudhary, Anita Basnet, Preeti Rai, Dipa Shahi
ForwardsSabitra Bhandari, Anita KC, Sabita Rana Magar, Rashmi Kumari Ghising, Amisha Karki, Rekha Paudel

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

P