Sports
Shrestha hands hosts victory
Nawayug Shrestha scored a solitary goal as Nepal defeated Friends of Japan 1-0 in a charity match at the Anfa Complex on Saturday.Nawayug Shrestha scored a solitary goal as Nepal defeated Friends of Japan 1-0 in a charity match at the Anfa Complex on Saturday.
The match was jointly organised by Colorbath, a Japanese NGO, and the All Nepal Football Association to mark the 60 years of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relationship.
Shrestha scored in the 57th minute close from the goal line in a rebound after Japanese goalkeeper Nazawa Yohsuke fumbled a high ball from striker Bimal Gharti Magar.
However, it was the Japanese side that created most of the chances and impressed with their beautiful game only to see their opportunities wasted at regular intervals. The visiting side hit the woodworks in the 42nd minute and in the 93rd.
While Nepal had retained the squad that lifted the AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia on November 15, Japan lined-up footballers plying their trades with clubs from Asia and Europe.
Nepal coach Gyotoku Koji lauded the performance from Friends of Japan. “The opponents had only two days of practice before they played us. But still they had a good game. They are used to playing in the natural surface so it was a bit uneasy for them to get at their level best,” said Koji referring to the artificial turf at Anfa Complex.
Japan’s player-cum-coach Toda Kazyuki admitted that the solitary goal from Nawayug separated the two teams. “We were better of the two teams but they got the deciding goal. I must say the defense stopped us single-handedly as we had lots of chances to score,” said Kazyuki adding Nepal can go a long way under Koji.
“I had watched Nepal’s previous games. Even though there is some room for improvements, I am sure under him (Koji), Nepal can do even better,” the 2002 World Cup player for Japan added.
The tournament was played in order to raise funds to assist the April 25 earthquake victims. Proceeds from the tournament will also go to fix the football infrastructure damaged by the earthquake last year.