Nepal take on Kuwait

KATHMANDU, SEP 09 - After salvaging a draw against defending champions Uzbekistan, Nepal take on Kuwait in a must-win match in their Group ‘C’ encounter of the AFC U-16 Championship in Bangkok on Tuesday.

The match at the Muangthong Stadium will be a do-or-die clash for Nepal where a victory will keep them alive for the quarter-finals. Although Kuwait had a disastrous opening, losing 3-0 to DPR Korea on Sunday, the huge gulf between the two teams in the Fifa world rankings will still put the former as favourites. While Kuwait are 111th ranked team, Nepal languish at the 166th spot. Nepal coach Bal Gopal Maharjan said that his side will not take Kuwait lightly on the basis of the result against DPR Korea.

“Kuwait are not as weak as the result suggests. They have a very good midfield and we will have to play our best game in order to keep our hopes of making into the next round alive. The boys showed their fighting spirit by scoring in the last moment and I am looking forward to seeing more of that against Kuwait,” said the Nepal coach.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals with the semi-finalists confirming their spots to the 2015 Fifa U-17 World Cup to be held in Chile.

Maharjan is happy to have skipper Bimal Gharti Magar back in the team for a crucial clash. Gharti Magar, the most influential player in the team, had to watch his side’s 1-1 draw against Uzbeks from the stands, serving a one-match ban following his two bookings during the Qualifiers last year in Kathmandu .

“We missed Bimal (Gharti Magar) in the first match. I am sure we will be able to produce a different scoreline with him playing up front,” said Maharjan. Having said that, Maharjan was quick to add that after Kiran Sunar’s goal in the dying moments against Uzbekistan his boys have drawn confidence of scoring anytime from any position.

“They now believe that anyone is capable of scoring. I am looking forward to seeing the same attitude tomorrow,” added Maharjan. Also on Monday, group toppers DPR Korea will play Uzbekistan.

Source: ekantipur.com