KATHMANDU: Nepal will clash with defending champions Bangladesh today in the first semi-final of the SAFF U-19 Championship, being held at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The match is scheduled to kick off at 3:45 pm Nepali time.
Nepal advanced to the semi-finals as the runner-up of Group B. They started their campaign with a resounding 5-0 win over Sri Lanka but suffered a 4-0 defeat against hosts India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh topped Group A after a goalless draw with the Maldives and a win over Bhutan.
The second semi-final of the tournament, featuring India and Maldives, will be played later today at 7:45 pm Nepali time.
This semi-final brings back a familiar rivalry between Nepal and Bangladesh at the youth level. The two sides previously met in the final of the SAFF U-20 Championship held in Nepal last year, where Bangladesh clinched the title with a 4-1 victory at the ANFA Complex.
Nepal had beaten Bangladesh 2-1 in the group stage of that tournament but failed to repeat the performance in the final.
In total, Nepal and Bangladesh have met five times in SAFF youth tournaments in the U-18, U-19, and U-20 categories. Nepal has won three of those matches, drawn one, and lost just once — in the final of the last edition.
Nepal defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in the group stage of the inaugural edition in 2015 and repeated the same scoreline in 2017 in Bhutan. In 2022, they played a 1-1 draw, followed by Nepal’s 2-1 win in the group stage and Bangladesh’s victory in the final.
With a strong history and the sting of last year’s defeat still fresh, Nepal is aiming to avenge that loss and secure a spot in the final.
The young squad will be looking to put on a determined performance as they continue their pursuit of the SAFF U-19 Championship title.
Comment