Despite dominating the match and creating frequent scoring chances Nepal conceded a late goal in the 74th minute against the run of play. It was Aliahmad Mansory who stunned the home team with a well-placed low shot in the far post from the left side of the area. Mansory fired Afghanistan in front capitalizing on a defensive error by Ananta Tamang as he headed the ball toward the Afghani providing him an easy scoring opportunity. [break]
Nepal´s skipper Thapa Magar replied seven minutes later with a 30-yard freekick to level the scores and give some relief to the noisy home supporters.
"I took the freekick because I thought I could score," Thapa Magar said at the post-match conference. "Though we got numerous chances luck did not favor us. We missed the target on many occasions and sometimes hit the woodwork."
The result leaves Nepal unchanged on top of the table with four points from two matches. A draw in its last group match against Pakistan would secure a spot in the semifinals for Nepal. In the first match Nepal had defeated Bhutan 7-0, while Afghanistan had played a goalless draw with Pakistan. Afghanistan is level on two points with defending champion Pakistan, which was held to a goalless draw by Bhutan in another match held at Army ground, Lagankhel on Monday.
Nepal made over a dozen attempts on goal during the match, while Afghanistan could only make one attempt in either half.
Expressing satisfaction over the result, Afghani coach Waheedullan Wahedi said, "We were playing for a draw right from the beginning. We analyzed Nepal´s weak points during the interval and changed our strategy in the second half and were successful in scoring," Wahedi said. "I had not expected the match to be so tough. Nepali team is good and very fast; it tried to score from every corner."
Nepal´s coach Bal Gopal Maharjan opined that his team was deprived of victory despite getting close to it. "We got numerous chances but failed to utilize them. The boys failed to take right decisions at the right time," Maharjan lamented. "Now we must beat Pakistan in the last match and try to secure semifinal berth as the group winner."
Nepal intensified the attacks from the beginning and made its first attempt on goal six minutes into the game. But Bikash Thapa shot inches wide from the area in Ravi Bhandari´s pass. Thapa again fired above the bar in the 17th. Moments later, Bimal Gharti Magar wasted a beautiful scoring chance chipping above the bar in a one-on-one situation with custodian Mohd Hossain Rasuli.
In the 22nd, Bhandari´s deflection from a crowded box in skipper Thapa Magar´s corner was cleared by Samir Itamauni. Six minutes later, Gharti Magar´s feeble shot from the area was easily taken by custodian Rasuli. In the 36th and 84th minutes Gharti Magar hit off the target, while in the stoppage time his header was denied by goalie Rasauli. In the 87th, Gharti Magar´s shot from close range in substitute Shiva Subedi´s pass hit the woodwork. Bikash Thapa and Subedi each wasted two chances in the second half.
Today´s Match
Sri Lanka Vs Bangladesh @ 16:00 NST
Venue: Army ground, Lagankhel
Group A points table
Team P W D L GF GA Pts
Nepal 2 1 1 0 8 1 4
Afghanistan2 0 2 0 1 1 2
Pakistan 2 0 2 0 0 0 2
Bhutan 2 0 1 1 0 7 1
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