Nepal suffers 0-2 defeat at home against Yemen

KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered a second consecutive defeat in the second round of joint qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup, succumbing to a 0-2 loss against Yemen at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Both sides remained goalless in the first half. However, Omar Al-Dahi broke the deadlock in the 71st minute to give Yemen the lead against Nepal. He received a pass from Al Maari and ran across the box before firing a shot past Nepali keeper Kiran Kumar Limbu. Substitute Mohammed Abdullah Al-Dahi extended Yemen’s lead in the 90th minute by cleverly lobbing the ball past the advancing Limbu during a counter-attack.

The result means Nepal is still winless against Yemen in five encounters between the two sides. Yemen has emerged victorious in four matches, while Nepal held Yemen to a goalless draw in the third round of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualification.

Nepal suffered a 0-4 defeat against the UAE in its opening match of the qualifier, while Yemen was also defeated 0-2 by Bahrain.

Nepal will face Bahrain in its third match of the qualifier on March 21.