Having a score of three points on hand, Nepal could directly enter the semi-final from group ´A´ on condition it edged Pakistani team today. [break]
Importantly, the first edition of the SAFF Championship Football Tournament had kicked off from the Dasharath Stadium, Kathmandu, in 1997. However, Nepal has not so far won any medal during the interval of 16 years since the beginning of SAFF game.
Nepal could not advance from the semifinal in two editions of the SAFF Championship in 1999 and 2011 while it had to walk out from group round in rest five editions of the tournament.
Nepal has topped the score in group A under the ongoing championship. Nepal had thrashed Bangladesh with 2-0 goal difference in a tournament on Saturday.
Nepali strikers Anil Gurung and Bharat Khawas scored each goal to win the match. With this, Gurung and Khawas made equal goal scores of eight in international football arena. Nepal´s veteran strikers Hari Khadka and Nirajan Rayamajhi have so far the highest score of 13 in international football match.
Nepali Football Team Camptain Sagar Thapa said that the team would not get the audience disappointed in today´s match against Pakistan. ´We will do our improved performance by learning from our past weaknesses´, he added.
It is learnt that as many as 20,000 audiences had watched the earlier match between Nepal and Bangladesh on Saturday.
Nepal is contesting with Pakistan in the Dasharath Stadium at 6.30 PM this evening.
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