Nepal registered their first win in the SAFF U-17 Championship with a 4-0 thumping win against Sri Lanka, thanks to Sujan Dangol’s hat-trick. With the win, Nepal remained in the contention for the knock-out stage of the championship.
In the second match played at Changlimithang Stadium, Nepal took a 2-0 lead within the first 13 minutes. Sujan opened the scoring with a header in the 9th minute, followed by a second goal in the 13th minute, assisted by Subash Bam.
By the time Sujan finished his hat-trick in the 30th minute, Nepal had taken a comfortable 3-0 lead at the interval. The second half saw Sri Lanka struggle to rally, and Bikash Khadka gave Nepal a fourth goal in the 83rd minute.
With this convincing 4-0 win, Nepal secured a vital three points. Nepal had earlier lost their opening game against Pakistan, 1-0. As for Sri Lanka, they had lost their opening game 5-1 to Bhutan, therefore this was their second straight loss.
On Wednesday, Nepal, who is ranked in Group B, will play Bhutan in their last group stage match. Nepal made it to the finals of the tournament’s previous iteration.
The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals, which will be held on October 12, with the final scheduled for October 14.