In course of becoming the first team to make it to the final and giving continuity to its dominance over Nepal, Sri Lanka humiliated the home side 25-17, 25-16, 25-16. Nepal has never earned a victory over Sri Lanka since 1987 Kolkata South Asian Games (SAG).
The result strengthens Sri Lanka´s grip at the top of table with six points while Nepal is in the third place with two points. On Friday, Nepal had defeated Afghanistan 3-2. The last time these two sides met was during 2004 Islamabad SAG. [break]
In the day´s late match Maldives defeated Afghanistan 3-1 at the same venue. Maldives, eyeing a straight set win, lost the third set 22-25 and was forced for the fourth, which ended on 25-19.
In the first and second sets, Maldives achieved 25-12, 26-24 win to move on to the second position with three point.
The results meant, the winner among Maldives and Nepal in their last round robin match to be played on Sunday, will qualify for the final. Following two consecutive defeats, Afghanistan with only one point crashed out from the race.
"The match against Maldives will be a do-or-die situation for us and we will eye nothing less than victory," Nepal´s skipper Kailash Datta Bhatta said during the post-match conference, echoing the voice of coach Kapil Kishor Shrestha.
Coach Shrestha cited better experience, good technical and tactical aspect, and better form of the opponent as the reason for his side´s defeat.
Nepal had never competed in a full court international tournament since 2010 Dhaka SAG.
Shrestha also opined that his side failed to block the spikes of opponents despite knowing their strengths. "They spiked very quickly, changing their spots which is where we failed though we succeeded in our spikes," Shrestha said.
Nepal was made to pay for the powerful serve of Sri Lankan players who, however, gave away at least five points in each set with mistakes in service. "I had watched Nepal´s performance against Afghanistan on Friday and had planned to serve powerfully. The plan worked perfectly," said Sri Lankan coach Wedakoon MSK, who rated Nepal as a strong side.
The Sri Lankan coach also pointed out the lack of experience as one of the main reasons for Nepal´s defeat. "We controlled the match on the basis of experience. Nepal´s standard is on an increasing note and it can be a better side if the players gain international exposures," said MSK whose side has arrived in Nepal only ten days after competing in the Central Asian Tournament.
Sri Lanka´s Surath SAJ, Disanayaka SADSP, Eknayake TMHK, and the man-of-the-match Premarathan MGM punished the Nepali side with powerful spikes. Sri Lanka took the match under control and maintained lead up to the last point to score the first point. From the one point deficit of 10-11, Nepal lagged behind 15-21 and finally lost the set by eight points.
Nepal made a smart start in the second set after skipper Bhatta was replaced by Milan Malla and Chandra Kunwar by Sunil Shrestha. It was their their debut in the national side. Nepal took a five-point lead in the initial stage with 10-5 score. Nepal´s spiker Milan Malla and Sanjay Aryal came up with some strong smashes. But Sri Lanka leveled the score to 13-13 and wrapped up 16-25.
Today´s Match
Nepal Vs Maldives @ 15:00 NST
Afghanistan Vs Sri Lanka @ 17:00 NST
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