Kathmandu, 27 Oct 2009 - Nepal's match against Kyrgyzstan on the second playing day of the AFC U-19 Championship Group 'A' qualifiers on Tuesday is a must win game for the hosts if they are to retain any hope of qualifying for the next round.
In fact a win is important for both the teams owing to their dismal outing in the previous games. Nepal had gone down 3-0 to Yemen while Kyrgyzstan were routed 4-0 by their central Asian neighbor Tajikistan on the first day.
If the first round of matches is any guide, both the teams can be seen as underdogs among the six participating teams. The game promises to a competitive encounter between two evenly matched teams.
After the game against Yemen, Nepal coach Raju Shakya said complained about nothing working in favour of the Nepali team with the players unable to perform to their potential. His midfielders - Ganesh Khadka, Jagjeet Shrestha, Shiva Shrestha and Rupesh K.C - were out of ideas throughout the match. To compound his miseries, the substitutes for Khadka, Jagjeet and K.C. also to failed to find any rhythm. Shakya vowed to improve the team's performance in the next fixtures to stay in contention.
Despite what the score-line suggests, the match was far from a one-sided contest. Yemen had gone in front courtesy an own goal from Khadka; their last came was from a penalty -- which suggest Nepal can still turn the tables with a bit of hard work. Yemen coach had praised the Nepali team as one holding great potential.
Jordan lock horns with Yemen on the first game of the day at Halchowk. Jordan, one of the strong teams in the group, will probably emerge as the better side against Yemen who were fortunate to emerge on top against Nepal.
Tajikistan will look to play a similar game that helped them win 4-0 against Kyrgyzstan when they play Palestine. But Tajikistan will have to work hard against Palestine which made Jordan toil for the 3-1 win.
source: The Kathmandu Post
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