India’s head-to-head record against SAFF Championship opponents Nepal

The Blue Tigers have previously faced Nepal 23 times.

The 2023 SAFF Championship draw took place in Delhi on Wednesday, 17th May, and has given us the two groups for this year’s SAFF Championship. India have been drawn into group A, which consists of non-SAFF nation Kuwait, and neighbours Nepal and Pakistan. 

India will face off against their opponents from the finals of last edition's SAFF Championship, when they take on Nepal. The Gorkhalis have been on an upward slope for the past few years, and despite coming so close to their first ever SAFF Championship title, they have failed to get past India in the finals. 

However, with the two teams meeting once again in the competition, Nepal will be determined to get the result in their favour, as another chapter awaits to be written in the incredible rivalry between these two neighbouring countries.

With that said, let’s take a closer look at the past five meetings between the two nations, and also their overall head-to-head.

India 3-0 Nepal (October 16, 2021)

The most recent meeting between India and Nepal took place in the SAFF Championship 2021 final. Nepal were aiming for their first SAFF Championship win, and had come off the back of an incredible group stage. India on the other hand, were looking for a bounce back after their poor World Cup qualifier campaign. 

The two teams started the game with a lot of intent, and things were pretty tight in the first half, as either of the two teams failed to get on the scoresheet. It was, however, the second half, in which India shifted the gears, and started to dominate the game. Sunil Chhetri was the first to get on the scoresheet, as he headed the ball home to give India the lead. This was followed by goals from Suresh Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad, as a result of which India earned a 3-0 win and the silverware for the eighth time.

India 1-0 Nepal (October 10, 2021)

India took on Nepal in their third game of the 2021 SAFF Championship, and were in desperate need of a win, after drawing their first two games. The Blue Tigers began the game well, and created a number of chances throughout, but unfortunately, all their efforts went into vain, as they were not able to break the deadlock. Almost the entirety of the game had gone by, and the fixture came at its final stretch. The situation was demanding, and India’s main man stood up to the occasion once again. 

Brandon Fernandes played a ball into the box in the 82nd minute, that was flicked past by Farukh Choudhary towards Sunil Chhetri, who in return used his exceptional technicality to volley the ball into the bottom right corner, beyond the reach of Kiran Limbu. This goal by Chhetri helped revitalise India’s morale and equal his international goal tally to that of Pele's, as they finally got a victory.

India 2-1 Nepal (September 5, 2021)

As a part of their preparation ahead of the 2021 SAFF Championship, India played a friendly against Nepal on the 5th of September, 2021. The game held immense significance for India, as they intended to test themselves for the upcoming competition.

It was a cagey affair, where both teams created chances on either ends of the pitch. India came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but lacked the finesse in the final third. The deadlock was however broken in the 62nd minute, when substitute Farukh Choudhary scored for the Blue Tigers. Minutes later, Sunil Chhetri also joined the party, and ensured another victory against Nepal. 

India 1-1 Nepal (September 2, 2021)

Three days prior to the 2-1 victory, India had played another friendly against Nepal, at the exact same venue. India fielded an unusual starting XI that evening to test different players ahead of the SAFF Championship. 

Nepal took advantage of this inconsistency in the line-up, and opened the scoring in the 38th minute. India did their best in the second half and came up with an equaliser, but failed to grab the winner.

India 2-0 Nepal (June 6, 2017)

In what was to be their last meeting for the next four years, India played Nepal on the 6th of June, 2017, at the Mumbai Football Arena. Despite being 69 spots below India (in 2017), Nepal handed the hosts an extremely tough competition. Both India and Nepal had 10 and six shots on target respectively, and for the better half of the game, the two teams were finely poised in terms of creating chances. 

It was Sandesh Jhingan who broke the deadlock in the hour mark, followed by a clinical finish from Jeje Lalpekhlua in the 77th minute. The two players pushed India to a victory on a night where Nepal deserved at least a point for their astounding efforts.

Overall head-to-head

India and Nepal have in total played 23 games so far, with the first tie dating back to 20th of December, 1985. Out of these 23 meetings, India have triumphed on 16 occasions. Five games have ended in a draw, whereas Nepal have emerged victorious just twice.

Picture Courtesy for Nepal National Team: The Kathmandu Post