KATHMANDU, Nov 13: The Nepali National Football Team will be playing against the Bangladeshi national team in the first friendly match between the two teams later today amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The match will be played at Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on Friday afternoon. It is scheduled to kick off at 4:45 pm NST.
Nepal is playing its first international match after almost a year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides are scheduled to play two friendlies including one on Friday and the other on Tuesday next week.
Second friendly football match between Nepal and India today
“Although our players had a short time for preparation and we were also affected badly by the pandemic, we will give our best,” said coach for the Nepali team, Bal Gopal Maharjan, during the pre-match conference held in Dhaka on Thursday.
He added that it will be an appropriate opportunity for the preparation for the upcoming FIFA qualifying matches. Nepal Captain Kiran Chemjong said that he is very excited to play the game after a long time.
Team Nepal will be playing with eight new players as some of the regular national players tested positive for COVID-19. According to All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), one more member of the team tested positive for the virus after reaching Bangladesh. National player Rohit Chand also failed to participate in the match due to an injury.
