Nepal cannot relax against Bangladesh
The men’s football team of Nepal plays Bangladesh in the competition’s last round robin league match in the South Asian Games in Kathmandu.
The final outcome of the match will determine which team advances to the final. Once again, the home team is heavily favoured over Bangladesh.Given the magnitude of the fixture,they have to be at the top of their game.
All they need is a draw. They have a fairly easy and far less complicated route to the final. They are in an advantageous position and with a great chance of winning.They have everything to lose.
A failure to capitalize on advantages would spell disaster for Nepal.They cannot afford to let that happen.They will require a great amount of effort and consistency to avoid an upset.They have to to keep the tempo up. Playing with confidence is key to winning the game
Going by Nepal’s performance against Maldives, it was not the best, although they came back from behind to win.They looked vulnerable and disorganized at times.
The defense has to stick to their job, and both offense and midfield have to perform with more purpose.
Coach Bal Gopal Maharjan has to address the gray areas, rework the game plan and tactics and inject confidence into players.
On the other hand, Bangladesh faces a huge challenge, which is a pretty tall order. Despite heavy odds, I expect them to go all out from the start.
They are aware that they have to win by a handsome margin to cease the opposition from marching into the final.
They have no choice but to play attacking football. With that in mind, anticipate Team Bangladesh to throw everything upfront to snatch victory.
In their earlier matches they have shown flashes of brilliance and ability to perform effectively as a unit.
However, they have been let down by inconsistency in their performance, poor finish and failure to rise to the occasion when it mattered most. If they somehow manage to pull it off, it will be quite an achievement.
Forgetting not, football is a funny game and anything is possible till the final whistle. Nepal cannot let the opportunity go to waste.
The host has a great chance to prove themselves in Sunday’s match.More importantly ,they can redeem themselves if they win the tournament, and it would give a big boost to Nepal football, going through a lean phase.
Bhutan’s brilliant performance has taken everyone by surprise. They started as clear underdogs and very few expected them to reach this far in the competition. Their resounding win over Sri Lanka proves they are steadily emerging as a force to reckon with in South Asia.This is a dramatic turnaround in their performance.Ne
My prediction is, Nepal will reach the final. I hope I am not caught on the wrong foot.