Football
Nepal suffered a 2-0 loss to Bhutan in their opening Group B match of their AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Arad, Bahrain on Saturday.
The result gives Bhutan a head start in their bid to secure top spot in the group. The top two sides in the group progress to the AFC U-20 Asian Cup finals in Uzbekistan next year.
After a stuttering start with chances few and far chances on either half, Bhutan opened the scoring through Sonam Judgrul Chozang in the 33rd minute.
As Nepali defenders and the goalkeeper failed to coordinate in dealing a long cross-field ball from Bhutan midfield, Chozang punished them to put his side 1-0 up.
Nepal tried to stage a comeback, pushing more players forward when the match resumed after the break. But they conceded another goal against the run of play two minutes into the second half.
The Nepali backline struggled to negotiate a long cross. Chozang centred the ball with a flick of his head and Karma Tashi Jamtsho put away a half volley to double Bhutan's lead.
Bhutan will be aiming for a second win when they meet Bangladesh on Monday to consolidate their position in the group.
Nepal have an uphill task on hand to revive their hopes as they face much stronger opposition in their next two matches. They play Qatar on Monday and Bahrain on Thursday before meeting fellow South Asian side Bangladesh next Sunday.
