Bangladesh will be eyeing a place in the final of the SAFF Under-16 Championship when they clash with hosts Nepal in the first semi-final today at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.
Bangladesh secured a final four spot after a resounding 3-1 win over Sri Lanka in their opening game before going down 2-0 against India.Nepal, on the other hand, breezed into the semi-final, courtesy of two victories, a draw and 11 goals scored with forward Bimal Gharti Magar grabbing five of those goals.
This will be Bangladesh’s second consecutive semi-final appearance in the age-level tournament’s second edition, with the inaugural competition being held two years ago.
Despite the challenge of a daunting last four tie against the Himalayan nation, Bangladesh U-16 team’s Dutch coach Rene Koster expressed his optimism about a place in the final.
‘We will do our best and we will fight for a spot in the final,’ Koster was quoted as saying on goalnepal.com. ‘We don’t have quality players in the team like Nepal, India and Afghanistan but we are ready for the match.’
-With New Age input
