Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh), May 12 — Already through to the semifinals of the SAFF U-19 Championship, hosts India will look to seal the top spot in Group B when they face Nepal on Tuesday in what promises to be a high-stakes encounter.
India made a commanding start to their campaign with an 8-0 rout of Sri Lanka last week. Nepal, too, breezed past Sri Lanka with a 5-0 win on Sunday, ensuring both teams a place in the last four. However, with top spot still up for grabs, Tuesday's clash will be decisive. India needs only a draw to finish first in the group.
Coach Fernandes Urges Focus and Respect for Opponents
Indian head coach Bibiano Fernandes, while acknowledging the dominant wins by both sides, urged his team to remain grounded and focused.“Both teams won their first games by big margins. But we don’t read too much into the scorelines. Every match is different, and Nepal has shown that they are a strong and competitive side,” Fernandes said.
“We’ve analysed their game and know they are well organised. For us, it’s about sticking to our strengths, staying focused, and giving our best on the day.”
Fernandes stressed the importance of maintaining intensity after a big win. “It’s always important to stay grounded, especially after a win like that. The real test is to keep the same intensity and hunger against stronger teams,” he added.
Nepal Aim to Fix Mistakes and Challenge Hosts
Nepal, coached by Urjan Shrestha, are preparing for a tougher challenge after cruising past Sri Lanka. The team is a blend of players from last year’s U-17 and U-20 squads, both of which had competitive runs in their respective SAFF Championships.Nepal were runners-up in the U-20 Championship and semifinalists in the U-17 edition, where they lost 2-4 to India. Their current campaign was bolstered by a strong second-half performance against Sri Lanka, making it their second-biggest win in SAFF men’s age-group history.
“It was difficult to break Sri Lanka down in the first half as they were defending with all 10 players behind the ball. But in the end, we did succeed,” Shrestha said.
Having observed India's opener closely, Shrestha acknowledged the quality of the hosts. “We came to watch the India match. There's a big difference. We are already in the semi-final, but we will play a tough game against India. We will improve on our mistakes in the first game and hope to continue our journey here.”
With both sides already qualified, Tuesday’s match will serve as a crucial test of momentum and preparation ahead of the knockout stage.