Nepal boss Abdullah Almutairi feels Anirudh Thapa swung the momentum

The 23-year-old's equalizer denied the Gorkhalis a victory in the first friendly in Kathmandu.

Nepal and India played out a 1-1 stalemate at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on September 2. In what was the Nepalese side's first match at the venue in six years, Anjan Bista opened the scoring for the Gorkhalis in the 36th minute. India managed to make a comeback in the second half as the Blue Tigers scored the equalizer through Anirudh Thapa. Despite the draw, Nepal looked to be the more energetic side and it was also evident from their head coach Abdullah Almutairi's words at the post-match press conference.

On Nepal's performance

Ever since he took charge of the team in April, Abdullah Almutairi has emphasized on playing attractive football and making Nepali fans proud and he reiterated the same on Thursday evening. "I’m proud of how the players played today but deep inside, I know they can do better than this," he began.

The tactician also accepted his side's shortcomings and apologised for the hiccups. “I want to apologise in front of the Nepali people, we did not make them very proud today. We need to fix our mistakes and be better if we want to win the SAFF Championship and qualify for the (AFC) Asian Cup,“ he added.

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On giving chance to youngsters

Nepal's 17-year-old attacker Ayush Ghalan was the youngest man on the pitch against the Indians on Thursday evening. The starlet put up a good show, and justified Almutairi's decision to start him.

"Age is just a number. Everyone saw today what Ayush Ghalan and Suraj [Jeu Thakuri] did today. It’s simple, let them play and have fun. If they do good in the coming days, I’ll be very proud. If they do not put on performance, it means I’m not doing my job well," he asserted.

Similarly, he mentioned how friendlies can be the stage to test and experiment various team combinations with young players. "These are friendly games and we can experiment. We cannot afford that in the SAFF Championship,” he added.

On the Nepali midfielders

When asked about the midfielders, who represented Nepal against India, Almutairi explained each player's role. “We have three types of midfielders in our side. Pujan [Uperkoti] is a defensive midfielder, Tej Tamang is a box-to-box one and can run tirelessly, and Suman Lama is an attacking one," he explained.

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On Anirudh Thapa's impact

The 39-year-old praised Indian midfielder Anirudh Thapa and credited him for changing the course of the game. After coming in for Glan Martins as a half-time substitution, Thapa did more than just scoring the equalizer. The midfielder was instrumental in stabilizing the Blue Tigers' midfield against a power-packed opposition.

"We did well and we were winning from the very beginning. I think we lost the battle for just 10 minutes in the second half because of India’s number 7," insisted Almutairi.

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Reaction to Igor Stimac's comments

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac felt his side deserved more out of the game in the post-match conference and Nepal's use of the pitch conditions. When asked about his response, Abdullah Almutairi denied to make any comments.

"Everybody can say what they want. I will not fight over anyone else’s opinion. The match is over, and I see no point in responding to something that is not important," he reacted.

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