Subas Humagain, Kathmandu
Nepal failed to hold on to the first half lead as the hosts played out a 1-1 draw with India in an international friendly match played at Dasarath Stadium on Thursday.
Nepal led in the 36th minute after Anjan Bista capitalized in the defensive error. Indian Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu could not control the back pass of Chinglensana Singh Konsham and Anjan held onto the ball and rounded the goalkeeper to score into an empty net.
In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu’s error led to India’s equalizer. Skipper Kiran misread his clearance and half-time substitute Anirudh Thapa scrambled the in far post to bring the score level.
After trailing 1-0 in the first half, India managed to increase the pressure on Nepal in the second half but to no success. Debutant Rahim Ali was lively but could not help his team take the lead late on. He was awarded man of the match.
The second friendly match will be played on Sunday. Both Nepal and India are preparing for the championship. The SAFF Championship is being held in the Maldives next month.
