Philippines hands Nepal 1-0 defeat

KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered a 1-0 loss to the Philippines in a friendly match at the Rizal Stadium in Manila on Thursday.

Nepal, which adopted a defensive strategy, conceded due to its own mistake. Jarvey Gayoso scored the winning goal of the match in the second half of the match.

Nepal traveled to the Philippines as part of its preparations for the SAFF Championship which kicks off in Bangalore later this month.

Nepal played took a defensive approach in the staff, mostly staying in its own zone and looking to attack when the opposition lost possession. The strategy worked as the Philippines failed to find the back of Nepal’s net despite enjoying a lion’s share of possession.

The visitors continued the same strategy in the second half, waiting for the Azkals to make mistakes. However, despite its approach, Nepal conceded four minutes into the second half.

Gayoso attempted to score from the box utilizing a corner kick from midfielder Mike Ott. Although he missed the attempt, the ball fell on Pujan Uparkoti’s feet who failed to clear. Gayoso, who was lying on the ground, took the opportunity and shot in the open post before Nepali goalkeeper Kiraj Chemjong, who had advanced to collect the concern kick, could return back to the post.

After conceding, Nepal created some good chances. Anant Tamang had an opportunity to score from Arik Bista’s free kick in the 62nd minute, but his header was blocked by the Philippines goalkeeper Patrick Deyto. Ananta nicely connected substitute Abhash Lamichhane’s freekick in the 79th minute. But his header was once again blocked by the Filipino keeper

Nepal failed to display its strength in any department in the entire match. In the second half, with the entry of aggressive players like Deepak Raj Singh Thakuri and Bimal Gharti Magar, Nepal showed more ambition to score, but it lacked sharpness in the final third.

Five-match unbeaten run ends
Since its 7-0 loss to Indonesia in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in June 2022, Nepal had not lost any matches. Prior to this, Nepal had defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Laos (twice in the tri-nation cup), and drew 1-1 with Bhutan.

Coincidentally, the head coach of Laos, who lost in the finals of the Tri-Nation Cup at Dashrath Stadium in March, is currently the head coach of the Philippines.

Nepal will now head directly to India from the Philippines. Nepal will play Pakistan in the SAFF Championship opener on Wednesday.