In preparation for the AFC Asian Cup third round qualifications, the Nepali squad is ready to play another friendly match in Qatar. According to sources, Nepal will meet Sri Lanka in an unofficial friendly match on Tuesday, May 31. This friendly encounter is not recognized by FIFA as an international friendly. The Nepali team’s head coach, Abdullah Almutairi, has previously said that they will play three friendly matches.
Nepal had drawn 2-2 with Timor Leste U23 in the first match played before the Asian Cup qualifiers on Saturday. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, Nepal rallied to score both goals in the second half. In the final two minutes of the first half, Timor Leste gained the lead. Darshan Gurung, who was substituted at 42′ for Santosh Tanag in the first half, scored Nepal’s first goal at the 60th minute. In the 72nd minute, Nepal’s captain and attacker Nawayug Shrestha tied the game at 2-2.
The Nepali squad will spend about nine days in Qatar preparing. They will then go for Kuwait on June 4th. Meanwhile, a young player has been added to the team owing to a disagreement between the players and the coach. Despite Nepal’s plans to play a friendly match in Doha before of the Asian Cup qualifiers, it was reported that the final had not yet been completed. Qatar football, on the other hand, has invited seven Asian countries to coach in the country. Nepal will play nations like as Kuwait, Jordan, and Indonesia in Group A of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Nepal’s first match will be against Jordan on June 8, followed by a match against Kuwait on June 11. Finally, on June 14, it will face Indonesia. The top three teams from the third round, as well as the best second-place finishers from each of the five groups, will progress to the finals.
The match between Nepal and Sri Lanka will be held behind closed doors, with no spectators permitted. The game will begin at 9:45 p.m. Nepali time. Due to the fact that this is an unauthorized match, there will be no official live broadcast.
On Tuesday, the Nepali national football team, which is presently training in Qatar in preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers, will play an unofficial friendly match against 205th-ranked Sri Lanka. Nepal and Sri Lanka are both in Qatar preparing for the Asian Cup qualifications. Sri Lanka was the opponent Nepal faced in the Saff Championship 2021 group stage. Nepal beat Sri Lanka 3-2 in an absolutely thrilling game from both sides.
This will be the 19th match between Nepal and Sri Lanka. Only four of the previous 18 games between the two countries have resulted in a win for Nepal, while Sri Lanka has won six times and eight games have been tied. Nepal is putting together a formidable lineup ahead of the qualifiers despite the absence of 11 senior players, including captain and goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong. On Saturday, they drew 2-2 with Timor Leste U-23 as a result of this. Sri Lanka’s attack, with forwards Dillon De Silva (England) and Hamilton (England), appears to be quite threatening. As a result, this time the battle between these two factions will be much more intense.
