KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 25

Nepal youth team faced a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Iran in the Group B match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Republican Central Stadium in Dushanbe on Monday.

Nepal, who are participating in the Qualifiers for the third time and are yet to score a goal, were able to hold Iran to a goalless draw in the first half but the team conceded four goals after the break.

Mehdi Lamouchitaraji opened the scoring in the 46th minute before substitute Hossein Nokhodkar made it 3-0 with two goals in the 77th and 79th minutes.

Skipper Yasin Salmani completed the rout with his side's fourth goal in the third minute of the injury time.

Nepal will take on hosts Tajikistan on Thursday and wrap up the tour with a match against Lebanon on October 31. Winners from 12 groups and four best runners-up will make it to the next year's tournament to be held in Uzbekistan.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 26, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.