Nepal came from one goal deficit against Bagan, the runners up of I-league´s 2008/09 edition, to keep their morale high. Striker Jumanu Rai netted a brace before Anil Gurung leveled the scoring.
Anil leveled in the 43rd minute for Nepal through penalty after conceding an early goal in the 17th minute by Branco Cardozo. Nepal were awarded with a penalty after the Indian side played foul against Jumanu inside the box. Likewise, Jumanu added another in the 55th minute through a powerful shot from the box to give Nepal a 2-1 lead.
Jumanu scored once more a minute before the final whistle to seal victory for the team. Jumanu narrowly escaped missed the chance of completing his hat-trick as he missed a one-versus-one chance in the stoppage time.
Coach Krishna Thapa, satisfied over the team´s performance, said, “Boys displayed excellent footballing though we conceded an early goal. As I have told that striking line is our greatest weapon, the boys proved it today."
Coach Thapa had made a slight change in the team formation as striker Chetan Ghimire was brought in the midfield in the first 11 squad.
Before the match, both the teams held a minute of silence to mark the death of former football player Narendra Man Singh.
Nepali line-up: Jumanu Rai, Anil Gurung, Bijay Gurung, Sandeep Rai, Raju Tamang, Chetan Ghimire, Anjan KC, Rakesh Shrestha, Sagar Thapa, Biraj Maharjan and Bikash Malla.
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