The Nepali team drew its first match against Bangladesh 1-1 despite playing a good game in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Monday in the South Asian Games (SAG).

Santosh Shahukhala rescued the team scoring in the late hours through a spot kick with the striking line once again failing to break through.

The match started with Nepalese domination but the account was opened by Bangladesh early in the 13th minute.

But, Shyam Thapa’s team showed the will to fight back and dominated completely throughout the second half. They were aggressive and determined. Shyam Thapa’s strategy paid off when Santosh Shahukhala was fielded in place of Jumanu Rai. In the wee minutes, Vijay Gurung was in full swing with the ball inside the box, and while trying to avoid the goalie, the Bangladeshi custodian pulled down Gurung inside the box. Santosh Shahukhala didn’t miss the sitter and equalized.

“It is once again a flurry of chances wasted during the game,” Shyam Thapa reacted after the match. “They could have won the match by a distinct margin,” the coach added. However, Bangladeshi coach Deigo Cruciani blamed the referee for the spot kick.

In conclusion, some players were excellent with the ball. Sagar Thapa did well but lost his temper in the wee hours, Vijaya was excellent, Raju, Anjan, and Santosh Gurung played pivotal roles in holding the Bangladeshi side. The mid-field was quite blunt with Pradeep completely out of form.

Nepal will play its second match on 16th August against India.