Magar: We were all very confident and not only as a team but as individual players as well. The coaches were constantly giving us pep talks and we were motivating one another. By the time the championship kicked off, we were all psyched to play. Each and every one of us was particularly looking forward to beat India.
Bista: That's true because Nepal's football team had the advantage of playing on home ground before but we weren't quite able to capitalize on it then. This time around, we were intent on not letting that happen. I never thought we had a reason to be nervous. We had played all the SAARC countries before and we had beaten them at one point or the other.
Exactly this U-19 team had played international matches before but what do you think made the difference this time around?
Magar: From counter attack to defense, I believe we worked as a team and that was the key to claiming the title. Especially in the latter stage of the tournament, we had an understanding of our individual roles better than we did in the past. That along with our coaches' motivation gave us this victory.
Gurung: It's not that we were playing terribly before this win. We had been close to victory several times. I believe our losses in the past were due to bad luck. Still we kept at it. As coaches and the players we all worked very hard. We had started practicing three months before the tournament. For an entire month, we even missed our college classes because there was training in the evenings as well as the mornings.
In hindsight, what do you think about your performance in the qualifying rounds?
Bista: To begin with, I got a feeling that people didn't have faith that Nepal could win this championship. We had heard people talk about Bhutan's rise through the ranks, Bangladesh player's physical fitness and we could sense that many people thought we would easily be defeated. We had an average performance in the first match against Bhutan but it gave us experience. It helped us analyze our shortcomings and restrategize. Personally, after scoring the first goal against Bangladesh, I got a great boost of confidence. By then the coaches weren't talking about how we 'can' win, it was more about how we 'have' to win.
Gurung: This was actually my first major international tournament so I was certainly nervous. I was also incredibly aware of the crowd. Hearing the crowd chant in unison is such a surreal feeling. I felt their energy transfer into me and that was very motivating. But then there were also times, when they would react negatively and at some of those moments I couldn't help but feel flustered. Letting the first goal in during the Bhutan match did make me feel inadequate, however, I also knew I had to keep my calm.
The semi final match against Afghanistan was a good one, so at that point, did the team feel that they would win this?
Magar: There was this burning desire in all of us to redeem ourselves from the last loss we had suffered against India.
Bista: We were incredibly happy to win the semi finals but we were also keen not to get carried away. You could sense that each player felt that was important. We still had the last hurdle to tackle. So we were quietly anticipating the finals with India.
Gurung: We watched the semi final together in our hostel and when India won, we got our wish. It was time to set the score right.
But it all went down to a tie breaker. How were you all personally feeling while the penalties were being taken?
Magar: I was confident. It was apparent that the match would go down to a tie breaker but I wasn't stressed about it. I believed we, as a team, could do it.
Bista: I actually didn't watch the penalties. I had suffered a heel injury during the match against Afghanistan. To make matters worse, a couple of minutes into the finals against India, I was tackled and I ended up hurting myself further. My wish was to play the entire 90 minutes but I couldn't. I was confident about Sujit's capabilities. But I was just too sad to watch the penalties so I just sat in the changing room.
Gurung: I remember the rush of emotions I felt at Tej Lama's goal. I thought we were well on our way to a win. But then, there was the late equalizer. You could feel the stadium tense up but we, the players and the coaches, all kept motivating one another. I was aware that a goalkeeper has a huge role, especially during the tie breakers, so when I made that save, I think the hopes rose.
And then you won. How did that feel?
Magar: There were hugs, cheers and loads of running around the pitch. The crowd was perhaps more, if not just as, pumped up. Though more than the celebration itself, I remember thinking and appreciating about the long way we had come to reach that pinnacle. It felt great.
Bista: In one word, incredible. One of the staff members came in the changing room and told me about it. I still get goose bumps thinking about the moment. After all the effort and the entire wait, we won. We beat India. My heart feels content at the thought.
Gurung: I just fell to the ground. Ananta was the last to score and when he did, I did not move an inch. I remember crying. Next thing I knew, all the players had piled up on me. It's a big blur of happiness.
Do you think this win will help uplift the football scene here in Nepal?
Magar: Let's hope this win encourages more investments in the game and the players. The government and ANFA are helping us all but I think we all know that more can be done. For example, to hear that ANFA has closed its facilities in Butwal and Dharan is very saddening. Since I started in Butwal myself, I know the importance of such facilities for emerging players.
Bista: I believe our win will help give the football scene here a resurgence of sorts. This win will help give players like us more exposure. There are international coaches and scouts who keep an eye on these matches and who knows, it might help us go abroad like Bimal. The chance to train abroad would be invaluable. For Nepali footballers like us, training abroad would mean bringing more skills and techniques to the national team.
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