KATHMANDU, Aug 19: The Nepal football team has been knocked out of the group stages of the Asian Games after losing to Pakistan 2-1 in the last game of the group on Sunday. Nepal, who had a hope of reaching to the second round with a win over Pakistan, has returned home without registering a single point.
In the last match of Group D, Nepal took the lead, but eventually succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Pakistan.
Earlier, after losing 1-0 to Japan in the first match, and 2-0 to Vietnam in the second, Nepal’s chances of going to the second round as the top two of the group had ended.
Nepal defeats China, but fails to qualify
A total of 12 teams from six groups will directly enter the last 16, with the additional four best third-placed teams also making it to the round of 16. Nepal had a small chance of reaching the second round with a win over Pakistan, but after the loss, it was all over.
Nepal’s first goal in the Games after the 1982’s edition was not even to its own name. At the Patriot Stadium, Pakistan’s Yunes Shahbaz scored an own goal in the 11th minute giving Nepal a lead.
The first half of the game ended 1-0 in favor of Nepal, but Pakistan got off to a good start in the second period as Bilal Mohamud scored an equalizer in the 55th minute. Pakistan took the lead in the match through Hussen Saddam, who scored with 19 minutes left on the clock through a penalty. Pakistan was rewarded a penalty after Rohit Chand fouled a Pakistani player inside the box.
Pakistan has climbed to the third place in the group with three points and has kept its qualification hopes alive among the four best third-placed teams.
In the other match of the group played on the same day, Vietnam became the group winner defeating Japan 1-0.
Japan and Vietnam, who won both of their previous two games, had already reached the knockout rounds. Vietnam has nine points, Japan has six, Pakistan has three and Nepal ended the stage without a single point.
Vietnam scored in the third minute of the match through Nigwen Kwang Hei to win the match.
