Kathmandu, August 14

Kshitiz Raj GT scored the solitary goal as Nepal defeated Afghanistan in the final group-stage match of the first SAFF U-16 Championship at the Sylhet District Stadium in Bangladesh on Friday.

After the goalless first half, Kshitiz broke the deadlock with a goal in the 48th minute of the match to guide the team to the last four as the Group ‘B’ winners. Nepal accumulated six points to finish as table toppers ahead of Afghanistan, who advanced to the semi-finals as runners up.

The match was delayed for about half an hour because of heavy rain and both the teams failed to find rhythm on the waterlogged pitch. Nepal came close to scoring in the 35th minute but Prizen Tamang applied a powerful shot from close range and missed the target. Nepal took the lead through Kshitiz’s goal three minutes into the second half and created a couple of chances thereafter. Abhishekh Rijal headed wide following a cross from Kshitiz in the 55th minute.

Nepal will now take on Group ‘A’ runners-up India for a place in the final, while Afghanistan are up against Group ‘A’ winners Bangladesh. The semi-final matches are on Sunday. Both Nepal and Afghanistan had already qualified for the semi-finals after Maldives were out of the race with two straight defeats. Nepal hammered Maldives 5-0 in the opening match, while Afghanistan registered a 4-2 victory to end Maldives’ chances.