Jul 12, 2017
In the run-up to the AFC U-23 Qualifiers 2018, the Nepal U-23 football team defeated the team from Bangladesh by a 1-0 margin in a friendly encounter held at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato. The only goal of the match was scored in the 20th minute by the skipper Bimal Gharti Magar.
A minor injury forced Gharti Magar out of the match in the 33rd minute. Following his exit, Nepal could not capitalize on a few scoring opportunities in the remaining period and increase the tally.
Despite this, Nepali head coach Raju Kaji Shakya was satisfied with the performance of his players. In a post-match conference, he said that the team struggled to adopt to the 4-5-1 playing system as it was relatively new to them and hence could not dominate the opposition. Gharti Magar said that the team would have benefited greatly if more friendly matches had been organized against stronger teams.
The Nepali team is now flying to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday for the qualifiers that are scheduled from July 15-19.
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