SAFF C’ship: Confident India faces Nepal with eye on semis
India entered the SAFF Championship on the back of its 2-0 triumph over Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final in Bhubaneswar.
BENGALURU: A 4-0 hammering of arch-rival Pakistan giving it the perfect start, India will have a wonderful opportunity to move closer to the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship when it faces Nepal here on Saturday.
On paper, host India holds all the aces, evidenced by an overwhelming 16-2 overall head-to-head record in 23 matches played between the teams. The last meeting came during the 2021 SAFF Championship, when India defeated Nepal 3-0.
India entered the SAFF Championship on the back of its 2-0 triumph over Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final in Bhubaneswar. The ‘Blue Tigers’ carried that confidence into its opening match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here, turning on the afterburners to crush Pakistan 4-0, with the victory powered by captain Sunil Chhetri’s hat-trick.
Nepal went down 1-3 to Kuwait in its first match and a positive result against India is mandatory for it to stay alive in the tournament. Nepal has the wherewithal to cause an upset, with midfielder Rohit Chand and forward Anjan Bista being the surprise packages.
Additionally, Nepal head coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese is quite familiar with Indian football since he served as the manager of I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC and Indian Super League outfit NorthEast United FC. The India camp is aware of Nepal’s potency and assistant coach Mahesh Gawli warned his side about a potential upset.
