Nepali youth footballers have been termed “scary” by their opponents prior to the beginning of Nepal’s fixtures with Pakistan and Bangladesh in the Under-20 Asian Federation Cup (AFC) qualifiers in Dhaka, agencies reported Tuesday.
“The sports officials of Bangladesh and Pakistan are scared of Nepal after they saw the practice and technical levels of Nepalese youths,” a correspondent of Rajdhani daily, who is now in Dhaka, reported.
“Bangladesh has fixed its first match with us and the last one with Nepal, because they are scared of Nepali youths,” the daily quoted Pakistani coach Sheikh Sahid, as saying.
“No team wants its first match with the tough opponent,” Sahid added, citing the match schedules.
Nepali youths will face Pakistan on Wednesday and hosts Bangladesh on Friday in the Under-20 AFC qualifier. In the opening match played between Bangladesh and Pakistan on Monday, the hosts defeated Pakistan by 1-0.
“No one can stop us from qualifying for the final round of the Youth Championship to be held in Malaysia,” Nepal’s captain, Prashant Giri, told Rajdhani, after having seen the match between Bangladesh and Pakistan Monday.
“But to win, out team must overcome the only obstacle posed by the weather here,” Giri said, citing the swelling mercury levels in the Bangladeshi capital. The temperature in Dhaka is as high as 28 degrees centigrade, the daily said.
The present squad led by Nepal captain Giri are the products of FIFA’s six-year-long goal project.