India and Nepal played out a draw in their first international friendly and the two teams will lock horns once again at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Sunday, September 5.
India were made to work hard by Nepal in the first match. The home team had opened the scoring through Anjan Bista in the 36th minute and it was substitute Anirudh Thapa who got the Blue Tigers back on level terms right on the hour mark.
India were largely dominant, but lacked clinical edge. Captain Sunil Chhetri, who has scored five goals against Nepal in eight matches, saw his header missing the target by millimetres. Rahim Ali had a few chances too, but the 21-year-old failed to find the target.
These two international friendlies against Nepal are meant to serve as preparation for next month's SAFF Championships in Maldives for both teams. The tournament will take place between October 1 to October 16 at the National Stadium in Male and will be played between Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, hosts Maldives, Nepal and India.
India vs Nepal head-to-head
Since their first-ever meeting in 1985, India and Nepal have played 20 matches to date and the Blue Tigers have won most of the games. Despite the recent 1-1 draw, India have won 13 matches and lost just twice. The two teams have been involved in five draws.
In those 20 meetings, India have scored 34 goals and conceded 10. Their biggest victory came way back in 1999 at the South Asian Federation Games where a brace from Jules Alberto and goals from Hardip Singh Sangha and Mohammed Najeeb guided India to a 4-0 victory.
The Blue Tigers achieved the same result at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in 2008 where the likes of Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri were on target.
Indian football team squad for Nepal friendlies
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Mandar Rao Dessai, Akash Mishra, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Seriton Fernandes
Midfielders: Lalengmawia, Bipin Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Yasir Mohammad, Glan Martins, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh, Pronay Halder
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Farukh Choudhary
Nepal football team squad for India friendlies
Goalkeepers: Kiran Kumar Limbu, Deep Karki, Bishal Shrestha, Bikesh Kuthu
Defenders: Ananta Tamang, Dinesh Rajbanshi, Gautam Shrestha, Rohit Chand, Suman Aryal, Rajan Gurung, Kamal Thapa
Midfielders: Ayush Ghalan, Bishal Rai, Nitin Thapa, Pujan Uperkoti, Santosh Tamang, Sujal Shrestha, Sunil Bal, Suraj Jeu Thakuri, Tej Tamang
Forwards: Aashish Lama, Anjan Bista, Manish Dangi, Nawayug Shrestha, Suman Lama
Where to watch India vs Nepal second international friendly live in India?
Live streaming of India vs Nepal second international friendly will be available from 4:45 PM IST on the Indian football team’s official Facebook page.
There will be no telecast for India vs Nepal second international friendly in India.
Featured photo: AIFF
