Nepal, Bangladesh begin SAFF U-20 C’ship with wins

Nepal and Bangladesh registered victories in their opening matches of the SAFF U-20 Championship which kicked off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday. While Nepal defeated Maldives 4-0 in the opener, Bangladesh scraped past Sri Lanka by a solitary goal in the other match of the day.

Dipesh Gurung gave Nepal the lead in the 42nd minute, while Sugam Suwal doubled the lead in the 57th minute. Kritish Chhunju scored the third goal in the 62nd minute, while Managya Nakarmi completed the rout in the added time. Meanwhile, Bangladesh rode on a 71st-minute Mirajul Islam strike to beat Sri Lanka and opened their SAFF U-20 Championship tally with a win.

India will begin their campaign against Bangladesh on July 27, 2022. Earlier on Tuesday, the coaches of all the five teams across South Asia joined in on lauding the world-class sporting facilities in the city. Speaking to the media ahead of the start of the tournament, India head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh stated how prolonged access to such facilities have helped his team grow as footballers over the long term.

“We are prepared for the SAFF Championship and the boys are really motivated. For us, this will be good preparation for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, and all our players know the importance of taking it step by step as part of our development,” Venkatesh had said. “I must thank the Government of Odisha for providing such world-class facilities for the tournament. We have also been training here for a long time, and that has really helped the boys develop,” he added. (ANI)

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