By IANS,
New Delhi: A last minute strike by Sagar Thapa gave Nepal a 1-0 win over Bangladesh while Pakistan and the Maldives played out a goalless draw in the SAFF Cup football tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here Sunday.
Nepal gave a tough fight to Bangladesh, the highest ranked team in the tournament, and just when it looked that both the teams would settle for a draw, Thapa’s stunning free-kick in the 93rd minute foxed Bangladesh goalkeeper Sahidul Alam as the Himalayan Kingdom bagged full points from the match.
Nepal started with Jumanu Rai replacing Santhosh Khala, who was impressive in the 1-1 draw with the Maldives in their opening match. Bangladesh made four changes to their line-up with Mamunul Mamun being left out due to health concerns.
Nepal came close to scoring in the 4th minute but Anil Gurung missed a chance from hand-shaking distance after being fed by a good corner-kick. Rohit Chand’s long ranger was parried away by the Bangladesh goalkeeper for a corner.
Nepal now are sitting atop in Group B with four points while the Maldives and Pakistan are second and third with two points each. Bangladesh are fourth with one point.