Nepal finished the group round as Group-A champion after beating Bangladesh 2-1 in the last match of the group in the 2024 SAFF Under-20 Championship on Thursday at the ANFA Complex in the Lalitpur Metropolitan City of Nepal.
Bangladesh and Nepal, both had already secured the semi-final of the tournament winning their first matches against Sri Lanka. So, the last match of the group between Bangladesh and Nepal was merely a group place decider.
Losing the match, Bangladesh finished runner-up in the group and would meet the Group-B champion. Nepal, on the other hand, will face Group-B runner-up in the semi-final.
In the Thursday match, Bangladesh went to backfoot in the 17th minute. Following a counterattack, Nepal striker Samir Tamang carried the ball alone towards the Bangladesh half and found Bangladesh custodian Mehdi Hasan Srabon 40 yards ahead of his post who left behind the unattended post an easy target for the onrushing striker to hit.
Nepal striker Nirajan Dhami took a shot in the next minute from the edge of the small box beating three markers and the ball hit the net before touching Bangladesh defender Mohsin Ahmed.
Bangladesh reduced the margin in the 43rd minute of the match. Substitute striker Mirajul Islam rocked the net off a penalty kick.
Now, the last match of Group-B today (Friday) will reveal the group toppers and opponents of the semi-finals.
