Sports
Nepal lose to philippines
Nepal opened their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers with a 4-1 loss against hosts Philippines at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Tuesday.Nepal opened their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers with a 4-1 loss against hosts Philippines at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on Tuesday.
Philip Younghusband scored a brace while Iain Ramsey and Javier Patino added a goal apiece for the home team in the first Group ‘F’ game. Bishal Rai pulled back a consolation goal for Nepal , who played with 10 men after Bikram Lama was sent off early in the 13th minute for needlessly handling ball inside the area.
The hosts had secured all but secured three points by the first 28 minutes after scoring three goals in succession including a missed penalty, which was awarded for Lama’s handball. Nepal goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong made a superb save to briefly pump up the team, captained by Army striker Bharat Khawas in the absence of long-serving Anil Gurung, who was axed out for the team.
Less than 10 minutes after conceding the first penalty, Philippines earn the second which they dully converted in the 21st minute. More goals were to follow as Younghusband added his second goal four minutes later and Ramsey made it 3-0 in the 28th minute. Rai pulled on back in the first half injury time but Patino completed the rout with another goal in the 72nd minute.
Apart from Philippines, Nepal are drawn against Tajikistan and Yemen in the final round of qualifying tournament to be played over home and away basis. The 24-team qualifier, which has been divided into six pools, offers 12 berths for the finals scheduled for January 5, 2019 kickoff in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 12 teams will join defending champions Australia, China, Iraq, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan and hosts UAE in the finals.
Apart from Nepal, Jordan, Oman, Philippines, Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, India, Palestine, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Bhutan are the teams in the final qualifying round.
Nepal next host Yemen on June 13 and Tajikistan on September 5 in Kathmandu. Nepal then travel to Tajikistan on October 10 before hosting Philippines on November 14. Nepal round up their qualifying campaign with a game away to Yemen. Yemen are likely to host Nepal at a neutral venue due to political reasons.