Football

Nepal ended Sri Lanka’s journey in the SAFF U-17 Championship with a sweeping 6-0 semi-final victory at the Colombo Racecourse Stadium on Monday evening.

In the final, Nepal will meet arch rivals India who had overcome Bangladesh 2-1 in the opening semi-final of the competition.

Nepal started the game on the front foot, applying constant pressure on the Sri Lankans.
The Nepali side broke the deadlock in the 21st minute after they were awarded a penalty. Captain Pashant Laxsam converted it successfully.

Barely two minutes later, Nepal added another as Harish Raj Bhatta drilled his shot into the net from outside the 22-yard.

Subash Bam inflicted more pain on the home side to make it 3-0 on the half-hour mark.
The Sri Lankans tried desperately to cope with Nepal’s high-press game, but without success as their defence kept cracking under pressure.

As a result, Nepal found the net again in the 38th minute. Niraj Karki dribbled an out of position ’keeper K Mohamed Rihas to take the team into half time with a 4-0 advantage.

The second half unfolded much the same way the opening 45 minutes as Nepal dictated terms with quick passing and blistering runs.

Five minutes into the half, Unesh Budathoki bagged his first goal and the team’s fifth to take his tournament tally to three.

Sri Lanka showed some resistance at the back which momentarily stopped Nepal’s scoring spree. The home side began getting more physical that saw Nepali forward Bam being hacked down on the edge of the box in the 75th minute. Having used up all five substitutions, Nepal were forced to play the remaining quarter with 10 men.

Despite Sri Lanka’s numerical advantage, Nepal still maintained an upper hand in the game. In the 89th minute, Sijal Rai fired a shot from the edge of the box into the top right corner of the net to complete a 6-0 humbling of the hosts.