Nawayug Shrestha netted a hat-trick to inspire Nepal to the resounding win over Bhutan in the Group B opener played at the Nehru Stadium, Ulubari in Guwahati.
Bishal Rai and Anjan KC were also on scoresheet for Nepal.
The convincing win over Bhutan means Nepal has high chance of reaching the semifinals from the group that comprises of only three teams. Now Nepal will face Bangladesh at the same venue on Thursday.
Nawayug strikes at death to share spoils with Three Star
However, Nepal's semifinal place could be confirmed on Tuesday if Bangladesh beats Bhutan in the second match of the group.
Nawayug opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, netted his individual second in the 76th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 85th minute. Bishal scored in the 44th minute and Anjan scored in the 51st minute.
Nepal's coach Raju Kaji Shakya said that his side will try to play even better in the upcoming matches. “Our plan was to score within 15 minutes but were able to execute our plan only a little later. We will try to improve,” he said.
Meanwhile, the women's team of Nepal beat the Maldives 2-0 in its second match in the competition at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. The women's event is being played in league format with the top two teams vying for gold medal.
Skipper Anu Lama scored in the 36th minute and Niru Thapa added another in the 89th minute to help Nepal win the match. Nepal had defeated Bangladesh 3-0 in its opener on Friday. Nepal will play against Sri Lanka in its third match on Thursday.
