SAFF U-20 Championship 2022 Live Commentary: India vs Nepal

6:30 PM: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the India vs Nepal match in SAFF U-20 Championship 2022. The kick-off is just half an hour away! I’m your host Vinayak S Sivan, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football. Please wait for 30 Seconds for Live blog to load.

India vs Nepal: Build-up

India defeated Sri Lanka in their previous match by 4-0 to bounce back in the SAFF U-20 Championship 2022. The first match saw the Blue colts lose to Bangladesh. However, the victory against Sri Lanka is expected to act as a boost ahead of the game against Nepal.

Speaking on the eve of the match, head coach Venkatesh Shanmugam said that the 4-0 victory against Sri Lanka “provides the team with much needed confidence. But it’s just the start.”

“Winning matches is the most important part. Winning by a good margin gives the players the belief that they can break down rival defences. I hope we can carry the same mentality into the next game as well,” said Venkatesh.

“It’s just a first win. It was a good performance against Sri Lanka. But we now need to focus on the next two matches against Nepal, and Maldives,” he quipped. “This result of course will give a lot of confidence to the boys, and they can come to the next game with a strong mindset.”

Match Preview: Read

“The next game is very crucial for us, and the boys know that. It is a tough game, and Nepal have shown that they are a very good side. Both the teams are quite close. It’s going to be a tough game again, but we need to play our game and get the job done,” averred the mentor.

Nepal have had a couple of good performances so far in the SAFF U-20 Championship, defeating the Maldives 4-0 and Sri Lanka 3-0 their first two matches.