SAFF U-17 Championship Live Commentary: India vs Nepal

03:00 PM: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the India vs Nepal match in SAFF U-17 Championship 2022. The kick-off is just half an hour away! I’m your host Amanul Akhtar, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football. Please wait for 30 Seconds for the Live blog to load.

India vs Nepal: Build-up

India will face Nepal in the second Group B encounter of SAFF U-17 Championship 2022.

India U-17 National Team head coach Bibiano Fernandes stressed on the importance of maintaining the winning momentum in his side’s next clash against Nepal in the SAFF U-17 Championship on Friday, September 9, 2022 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Placed in Group B, India began their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Bhutan; with the latter also suffering a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Nepal in their second match, both India and Nepal have now confirmed their respective spots in the semi-finals. However, Bibiano and his boys will be looking to keep the winning momentum going, when they face Nepal at the Racecourse International Stadium on September 9, at 3.30 PM IST.

“It’s very important to keep winning matches. Winning breeds confidence. The knockout stage can be unpredictable and that is why we want to go into the semi-finals with winning momentum and confidence,” said Fernandes. “Our aim is to win the championship, and therefore we cannot afford to lose focus from that goal. We want to approach each game with the same winning mentality.”

While both India and Nepal may have sealed their respective sports in the knockout round, the top spot in Group B is still up for grabs. A draw would be enough for India to seal the top spot, as they have the greater goal difference, while Nepal need to win, in order to top the group.